


Lavender Isn’t As Calming As One Might Think

by xo_thefirst



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, F/M, Faeries - Freeform, Frosted Foxes, Fun, Hellhounds, M/M, Mermaids, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nymphs & Dryads, Phoenixes, Sirens, Warlocks, Wolves, all the love in the world for yixing, feathered serpents, hinted past!xingbaek, hinted past!xingdae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 09:46:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 34,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9317312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xo_thefirst/pseuds/xo_thefirst
Summary: As the fairest nymph of the kingdom, Yixing literally doesn’t even know he’s the fairest of them all.( alternatively titled: Assume: Makes An Ass Out of You and Me )





	

**Author's Note:**

> written for exomonsterfest ([here](http://exomonsterfest.livejournal.com/13108.html))

_Humans are strange creatures with great imaginations. Their bodies are weak but their mind is strong and they contain a whole new world that most creatures can’t even begin to fathom. It’s what makes them interesting, alluring, with a mysterious quality they have mastered over their short lifespan. It’s what makes them the ideal choice to become one of a pair of legendary guardian wolves that protect the entire kingdom. It’s been rumored that it came from legend itself: the faoladh wolves_.

 

The Clearing is always bustling with life. Citizens waltz in and out, the flowers and plants constantly chatter, and Yixing always feels like he’s alive when he steps foot into the large open space. Elder trees provide leafy canopies for coverage from the too warm sun and they sway with the soft breezes to welcome any newcomers who enter. A branch seems to wiggle when Yixing walks past it and he smiles, as he reaches out to touch it in greeting, “I’ve missed you too.” He can practically hear him giggle in his head in response, ‘ _Welcome back, Yixing_.’

Wooden tables created of the fallen trees of the past are scattered throughout the area, with trunks acting as seats for their customers, and even the vines crossing across the borders created by trees and bushes act as placeholders for anything the customers might be wearing or holding. It also helps that they serve some of the best herbal tea and delicious coffee and cakes in the entire kingdom, and that the nymphs who wish to work more around people help draw in customers with their friendly and open personalities.

“I don’t know why you’re back so soon,” Zhixiang mutters when Yixing finally dances around the young hellhounds playing with the faeries in the center of The Clearing. “It’s like I just saw you yesterday.”

Yixing stares at him before he laughs, seeing the two almost full wooden trays on the counter before them. “I’m pretty sure it’s because I did see you yesterday. Here. For work.”

“Oh.” Zhixiang stares. “Right.” He turns back towards the bar, where Liyin’s back is turned to them as she focuses on making the snacks and drinks, and he leans against it with his elbow propped on it and his chin in his hand. “So, humans.”

Humming, Yixing moves to stand next to him. He eyes him briefly, seeing how his light green hair ruffles lightly with the wind and the peaceful, almost bored, expression on his face doesn’t change, and is pleased to see the day isn’t as bad as he assumed with such a nice day out. If blades of grass look this calm in the field, then it’s a good day.

“Humans are wonderful creatures,” Liyin eventually answers, turning to place the last few snacks on one of the trays. Her long hair is a deep burgundy and braided to drape over her shoulder. Yixing likes it. “Though they may be rare nowadays.”

“You speak as if they’re dying out,” Yixing murmurs in thought, still eyeing her hair. She has bright little flowers between the folds and tangles.

Zhixiang hums in return before he slides his gaze over to him. “What I’m saying is that your weird human is here.” He flinches when Liyin takes the washcloth and smacks him on the head with it. “Okay, yeah. I’ll take these snacks to the patrons now.”

Yixing laughs when he sees Liyin’s pleased smile, before he’s looking around for his ‘weird human.’ It doesn’t take too long, instantly seeing dark hair with a skintight, sleeveless shirt sitting at the far end of the establishment, though he isn’t even facing him today. “How long has he been here?” he asks, looking away when he sees the man’s back flex when he brings something up to his lips.

“For a few minutes now, perhaps?”

“Mm.” Yixing waits for the second tray to be filled with cups before he leaves the station. Today, it’s lavender tea, something he drinks possibly once a week, and the scent of it relaxes him. He catches a glimpse of Zhixiang out of the corner of his eyes and he follows him with his gaze. He doesn’t realize he’s staring at the back of the human again until Liyin taps the tray in front of him.

“Go and talk to him,” she offers with a smile, before she reaches out to fix his hair. “The tea name matches the color of your hair.”

Smiling, Yixing leans into her touch. “Yeah, but I’ve been told I smell like chamomile.” He gasps when she lightly pats his cheek.

“And you do. Now, go deliver these drinks before they cool completely.”

The wooden tray weighs a little more than normal with the extra cups of water on it and Yixing heaves a sigh as he balances it on his hand and shoulder before making his way around to all the patrons sitting and chatting away the time. The flowers surrounding him are gossiping as much as them and Yixing can hear some talking about how the human is speaking to a lily, how he finds this entire place calming in a sea of boisterous restaurants, busy shops, and crowded streets. From where he sits, he can see out to the rest of the kingdom and it makes him think.

As he passes by customers who pluck drinks off of his tray, he smiles his gratitude and wishes them well before moving on. He follows Zhixiang’s original trail before he ends his journey next to the man at the far end bar. There’s one drink left on his tray and he takes it, places it down next to the man’s arm.

“The tea matches your hair,” the man instantly says, turning to give him a bright smile. “Hey, Yixing.”

With lavender colored hair and soft golden irises, Yixing laughs before giving the other his own smile. “So, I’ve been told,” he says, “Hi, Lu Han.”

Lu Han hums before taking a sip of his drink. He’s already finished most of his snack. “You look well-rested today,” he comments when Yixing sits on a tree stump next to him. “Though, I’m not sure. You always look so pretty.”

Yixing can’t help but roll his eyes at the compliment. “You can stop that now,” he counters, smiling when Lu Han laughs in return. He eyes his outfit. “I thought you’ve been training recently. Are you on a break right now?”

“Yeah,” Lu Han hums, as he turns to face him completely. His eyes seem to sparkle when their knees bump, but Yixing isn’t too sure. “The Elders have me training almost every day now, but I managed to catch a break thanks to the royal family. There’s some meeting going on right now so that’s probably why I can go out.”

“Oh,” Yixing mumbles, nodding along. He smiles when Lu Han reaches out to touch his cheek. As far as humans go, Lu Han has always been touchy with him. It always makes his heart warm. He grabs Lu Han’s hand to hold in his own. “It sounds like they’re giving you a hard time with training.”

Shrugging, Lu Han looks away to take another sip of his drink with his other hand. “It’s okay,” he answers, taking the initiative to lace their fingers together. “It’s raising my endurance and strength. They’re also testing out my mental capacity and strengthening that too.” He frowns, a bit confused with it, before he shrugs again. “I don’t know. My parents keep saying this is a huge honor.”

“It’s true,” Yixing agrees. There’s still a flush of heat in Lu Han’s cheeks but he swears his face is turning pinker by the minute. He smiles as he reaches out to brush the hair away from Lu Han’s eyes. “I’ve never seen someone be personally trained with the Elders before.” He pauses. “But I don’t know how the Elders can train someone when they’re so… elderly.”

Lu Han laughs at him, caught off-guard by his choice of words. He squeezes Yixing’s hand in the process and it makes him smile. “The Elders choose someone to train me. They don’t do it themselves.”

“Oh. That makes sense.” They both stare at each other before they burst out laughing again at the imagery it brings. It isn’t until they hear an obnoxious cough that they look away and turn to see Zhixiang standing there, staring at them. He looks annoyed, but Yixing can tell he’s amused with how hard he’s pursing his lips. “Zhi?”

Zhixiang rolls his eyes. “You’re still working, Yixing. Come on.”

Yixing startles at the reminder, pulling away from Lu Han completely and grabbing his empty tray. He rushes to his best friend before turning around and smiling at Lu Han. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I’ll see you later? Enjoy the rest of your visit.” And it all happens in such a short amount of time, all Lu Han can do is laugh at the turn of events.

“See you.”

 

There isn’t much to do when all Yixing does is take care of the patrons at work and then relax and take care of his flowers and plants at home. He runs into the Golden Warrior every now and again, the larger, golden wolf guardian of their kingdom, and his slighter, still beautiful, partner the Silver Fighter on more than one occasion. He always treats them with respect along with the rest of the kingdom, for they protect them with their lives and continue to make sure none of them get lost or kidnapped, and Yixing greets them with a nod of the head and a smile. The golden wolf regards him with his own tilt of the head before moving on his way to make his rounds of the kingdom. Yixing can’t remember his name.

When Yixing returns to The Clearing, he can hear the flowers whispering that _the human is back_ and _is he back for Yixing?_ He shushes them when he gets close enough, giving the more talkative flowers a stern stare, and he breaks when one giggles unashamedly. “You shouldn’t be talking so much about others’ businesses,” he chides anyways, crouching low enough to stare at the ladyslipper. “What have I told you about that?”

‘ _The same I’ve been telling you about that human_ ,’ the ladyslipper says. ‘ _It’s going to happen one way or another_.’ He rolls his eyes at her words. ‘ _Don’t roll your eyes at me, Yixing!_ ’

Yixing gets up and walks away before he can get into another argument with her but this time, he doesn’t stop her from talking so much about whoever is walking into the establishment and who the next guardians of the kingdom will be. Instead, he makes a beeline for the main bar where Liyin already has trays lined up. She stops him with a hand in the air in front of her face.

“Before you get to work, he’s here again but outside. He wants to talk to you.”

Confused, Yixing follows her words easily enough as he makes his way out to the outer border of the establishment. On the western side, Lu Han is crouching down next to the budding moonflowers. His lips are moving and Yixing can only guess he’s murmuring something to the plants who are still trying to sleep. It amuses him when he gets close enough and hears some sleepy, slurred reply even though Lu Han can’t understand her.

“Lu Han?” Yixing calls, startling the other into tipping over. He rushes over with a laugh, stabilizing Lu Han with a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry,” he says, helping the other up onto his feet. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” Beside them, the flowers breathe out a sigh of relief as they fall back asleep.

“I’m sorry,” Lu Han echoes, dusting off dirt from his knees. He looks to the flowers next to him. “I was waiting around before I left for training so I decided to talk to the flowers out here. I know they’re usually awake during the night though.”

Yixing hums, “Yeah,” before he looks back to him. He eyes his outfit again and it’s as dark as his eyes and hair. He’s wearing his training outfit again. “Back to training?”

Lu Han heaves a deep sigh, before running fingers through his hair. The strands look soft, like dark blades of grass in a foreign, mystical world. “Yeah,” he breathes out, returning to staring at him again. “And there’s some important meeting next week. I’m attending it with this other girl I’ve been training with.”

That peaks Yixing’s interest. “You’ve been training with a girl?” He watches as Lu Han nods. “Who is she?”

Lu Han gives him this strange look but relents, shrugging. “Her name is Joohyun. She’s quiet but surprisingly resilient. She’s human too.” He reaches out to grab Yixing’s hand and lace their fingers again. “I’d ask you to come watch us train, but I’m not sure if the Elders would approve of it. They seem secretive about the whole thing.”

“And you’re telling me all about it?”

“Why would I keep anything from you?”

The way Lu Han is looking at him is with pure curiosity and sincerity. Yixing’s heart speeds at how genuine his words sound and he suddenly feels himself heating up, blushing, at the physical contact between them. He doesn’t even know what to say, but then Lu Han is leaning in and touching his forehead with his. At this distance, Yixing can clearly see the stars and moon in Lu Han’s eyes.

“What if they’re grooming Joohyun and me to be the next pair of wolves?” he whispers, before he closes his eyes. “The summer solstice is coming up and they believe it’s time for the current pair to retire.”

Yixing wants to pull back, to look Lu Han in the eyes again, but the grip on his hand squeezes again and he stays still. “Do you know who the current pair is? Don’t they have a say in who succeeds them?”

“I only know them by name,” he answers. “They have some input, but the Elders and Royalty have ultimate control over who succeeds them.”

The structure of their kingdom is unique compared to others. While other kingdoms have soldiers and guards protecting their region, they have elves protecting the royal family and two wolf guardians protecting the entire kingdom along with the elves and royal family. It’s practically legend, how the wolves came about and have stayed ever since, and it’s a ritual every few years or decades, maybe even a century, to have the honor passed between the past guardians onto the new ones. Usually, the Elders choose humans to become wolves, to help lengthen their lifespan to match those of the other creatures around them, but Yixing honestly can’t remember who the two current guardians are and if they were human or not before the change. He tilts his head the littlest bit to bump his nose with Lu Han’s. He can feel the worry flowing off of him in waves and the touch helps Lu Han shake it off with a surprising laugh.

“I’m sure you will be one of the best guardians this kingdom has ever seen,” Yixing reassures, watching as Lu Han returns the gesture by bumping his nose and finally opening his eyes. Yixing pulls away to look at him completely without his eyes crossed. “You are considerate and kind of the creatures that inhabit this area. You are also strong.”

“But it can’t be me,” Lu Han murmurs, the worry reappearing in his eyes. “I know nothing about guarding others.”

Yixing shrugs. He pulls the hand still attached to Lu Han’s until he can press it against his chest. “You’ve always guarded me, right? Somehow?” He tries to think back to a time when he had, but Yixing comes up blank. “You’re always watching over us and visiting, making sure all the plants are fed and happy by talking to them.” This part is true.

It takes several minutes but then Lu Han sighs in defeat, taking a step closer to place his forehead on Yixing’s shoulder. Even then, he remains quiet and Yixing lets him stay there as he reaches up to rub his back. It’s obvious he’s been thinking about this for a while. Yixing can hear the flowers talking to him, asking him if Lu Han is going to be okay.

After a few more minutes, Yixing feels a soft pressure on his shoulder, almost like a kiss. “I have to go now,” Lu Han murmurs, slowly pulling away, reluctant. There’s a determined spark underneath the worry in his eyes and Yixing is drawn in. Humans are one of the strongest, strangest, creatures he knows. “Thank you.”

“If I know the kingdom will be entrusted to you, then I know we will be infinitely safe.”

The relief that floods Lu Han makes Yixing happy. He can’t help it when he reaches out to pull him in for a hug. It startles Lu Han but he laughs, hugging him tightly and breathing him in again.

“Chamomile does wonders,” Lu Han murmurs into his neck, Yixing laughing at the ticklish sensation. “Thank you again, Yixing.”

Yixing shrugs the best he can before Lu Han is taking off. When he turns around, he can hear the flowers giggling and see Liyin and Zhixiang peeking around a large shrub staring at him, amused. He stares at them confused instead.

“What?”

 

There are plenty of people on the streets today. Yixing bumps into the golden wolf once more before he turns a corner and sees Lu Han walking through the streets with a girl with rose-colored hair. He’s drinking from a container of water and they’re both sweating, as if they’ve recently finished training again. When he hands the container to the girl, they spot each other and Yixing flushes with heat when he sees Lu Han’s face light up, he grabs something from the girl, and he races towards him with arms wide open to envelop him in a hug. Yixing squeaks.

“Yixing,” Lu Han breathes, inadvertently into his ear. Yixing shudders at the sensation it brings before Lu Han’s pulling away with a bright smile on his face. “The meeting I have with the Elders is tomorrow but I have something to give to you before then.”

Behind Yixing’s back, where Lu Han’s hand is still holding him close, Yixing can hear someone talking. The voice is muffled but Yixing can still hear him. “What?” he asks, looking over Lu Han’s shoulder to see the girl from before standing a few steps away with a smile on her face. She’s wearing similar clothing to Lu Han even though her hair is vibrant. Maybe she used a dye from the plants to color her hair.

Lu Han follows his gaze before he makes a noise of acknowledgment, taking a step back to gesture to the woman. “Yixing, this is Joohyun. The woman I’ve been sparring with lately.”

Joohyun bows to him and Yixing returns the gesture, surprised. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she greets. She’s so polite.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Yixing echoes in return, mimicking her gestures. When he straightens again, she’s looking to him and then Lu Han and vice versa. She’s amused. Yixing frowns, as he looks to Lu Han confused. “What’s going on?”

“Do you remember when we first met,” Lu Han starts off, still standing close to Yixing. He swears there’s another voice talking somewhere near him. “I told you about how humans have this special flower. It can come in a variety of colors and it _means_ something for us?”

Flashbacks of Yixing playing in the grassy fields of the Outskirts come to mind. He was playing near his parents’ large oak tree when a younger, smaller Lu Han comes up to him with a lavender rose. Yixing had never seen one before but Lu Han had insisted it’s pretty just like him. Yixing smiles at the fond memory, nodding, before looking to Joohyun again who’s watching them with rapt attention. “Yes, you gave me a lavender rose then.”

Lu Han’s cheeks tint pink, but his smile is still bright. “Well,” he drawls, before he removes his hand from Yixing’s back and produces a beautiful red flower. “This time, I’m giving you a red rose.” Panic flashes across his face before he backtracks, “Uh, you don’t remember what this means, right?”

Yixing’s eyes are wide when he stares down at the beautiful flower before looking up to Lu Han. “No?” he answers, looking over to Joohyun curiously to see her smiling wider. “I don’t remember.” He smiles down to the flower when Lu Han gently pushes it into his hands. “Hello there.”

‘ _Hello, Yixing_ ,’ the flower responds, voice soft and elegant. ‘ _Lu Han has told me a lot about you_.’

Yixing grins wider at her words. He feels a tap to his elbow and he looks up again to see Lu Han smiling brightly at him. “We have to go now. I was hoping to see you at The Clearing but since we bumped into you here, I guess we can skip that then.” He looks over to Joohyun who’s now staring at him apologetically. “We have to prepare for the meeting tomorrow. We apparently have to wear our formal robes.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah.” Lu Han shrugs, before leaning in to kiss him on the cheek, almost as if out of instinct. Yixing does _not_ blush. “I’ll see you later.”

“It was nice meeting you!” Joohyun calls out, as Lu Han grabs her arm and they rush into the crowds in the street, leaving Yixing there holding a red rose stunned into silence and confusion, just like him.

 

The next day, Yixing finds out through the flowers that Lu Han and Joohyun have been chosen to replace the guardian wolves. He feels pride and affection swell in his chest at the news, and he rushes into Lu Han’s arms when he sees him in The Clearing. There’s laughter in his ears and Lu Han sounds so relieved as he buries his face in the crook of his neck. It warms Yixing’s heart and he promises to see him off during the Transformation.

 

The ceremony takes all day. The previous wolves make their last rounds before appearing in front of the masses in the Outskirts. The crowd hushes and Yixing watches with wide eyes as the large golden wolf and the slighter silver wolf make their way to the Elders and royal family. Their heads hang low in respect as they pause in front of each important person before being allowed to take their place in the center. The Elders wave their hands, gesturing for Lu Han and Joohyun to come out, and Yixing watches with a fond smile as they rush forward, almost tripping over themselves, because of the nerves running through their bodies– the grasses like gossiping to him.

There’s always a gap between each transformation and Yixing is surprised to see the wolves change back into their human forms, completely forgetting how they each looked like before the change. The man is handsome with golden hair and the woman’s ashy grey hair complements her pale skin. But before he has any chance to admire the works of a tradition, the royal’s daughter and son hurry to try and keep them covered as they get used to moving their arms and legs like a human, though they no longer have the same lifespan as one.

Minutes pass as Liyin grips onto Yixing’s arm tighter to try and see around the humans in front of them, not really having the wings like faeries or the ability to transform and crouch on the ground like hellhounds to see better. He tries to help her, maneuvering her with a soft grip on her arm and waist, and then the Elders call their attention again to witness another momentous occasion when the next pair take on the roles of guardians. Yixing tries to catch Lu Han’s gaze before it happens, but his jaw falls in awe instead.

Lu Han’s eyes close instinctively with the transformation, jaw clenching as his body tenses, and most of them collectively wince when Joohyun lets out a short yelp at the change in her body. It seems to take forever, but it’s only a few minutes before two new wolves are in their presence. While Joohyun’s wolf is a pretty, dusky rare rose color, Lu Han’s wolf is as dark as night itself. His fur is a deep black and his eyes are golden. Yixing’s heart slams into his chest when their gazes finally meet before Lu Han and Joohyun let out similar howls.

Lu Han is beautiful.

Later that night, when the Outskirts is mostly empty and the two wolves are running around trying to get used to their new bodies, Yixing leaves a single flower Lu Han first gave to him when they met years ago: a blooming lavender rose.

 

 _Gorgeous and enchanting, phoenixes harbor many qualities unique to themselves. They’re allowed to retain the ability to heal, to live longer than most, and to acquire the strength that most creatures wish to attain. Even in their humanoid form, they are as beautiful as their truest appearance, with eyes that shine like the fire and passion burning in their hearts_.

 

Not much has changed since the transition between the wolf guardians, Yixing muses. He believes the only thing that’s changed is Lu Han’s lack of presence in The Clearing, but even then, it isn’t really noticeable because Lu Han still passes by the establishment when he’s working. Lu Han always gives him an amused look before he tilts his head in a small bow of respect and running away again to make his rounds. Since then though, he hasn’t caught sight of the man and woman who were the previous wolves.

“It seems as if your weird human has become a weird wolf,” Zhixiang says, as they lean against the counter of the main bar and simply watch their patrons flow in and out of The Clearing. They really should be cleaning up tables and delivering more foods and drinks, but their customers have always been mindful to try and keep nature as clean and natural as they can. They really appreciate it, especially at times like these. “He’s been doing a good job so far though.”

Yixing hums. “That he has.” They flinch when they’re smacked on the head with the washcloth again.

“Go on. Do your jobs. You’re normally not this lazy.”

“I’ve just been feeling tired,” Yixing whines, turning to Liyin with a pout. “Have Zhixiang do it all.”

“No way,” Zhixiang mutters, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up from his seat. Yixing can only laugh as he gives him an apologetic smile. “You take care of the snacks and I’ll bring the drinks around.”

“Of course,” Yixing answers with a nod, grabbing his designated tray, before making his own route throughout the establishment. He’s made it halfway before he hears hushed whispers take over the customers. Even the flowers have been stunned into silence and Yixing looks around confused to see Zhixiang and Liyin already smiling and waving to somebody else. When he turns again, he’s surprised to see a phoenix in their presence, smiling and waving shyly to his friends. Minseok looks like he hasn’t aged a day since he last saw him a decade ago.

“Minseok?” His question is enough to have the shrubs and trees coming back from the silence, but the flowers still remain stunned. He watches, as Minseok’s golden eyes turn to him next, stilling him completely from his simple beauty alone, with hair the same vibrant shade of orange and soft hues of pink. “What are you doing here?” He can see the traces of the large, intricate inked design of a phoenix reaching his collarbone from his chest.

Minseok’s smile is sheepish, as he accepts a cup of tea from Zhixiang. There’s a subdued flame in his eyes, glinting to something darker and red every few minutes. “Hey everyone. Yixing. It’s time for me to get some much-needed groceries.”

Yixing frowns in confusion. “Groceries?” He follows Minseok’s gaze to the eastern side of The Clearing, immediately noticing a large carriage full of vegetables, fruits, fish, and he can only assume meat of some kind. “Oh.”

“So, I thought to come by and visit the ones I haven’t seen in that timespan,” Minseok explains with a laugh, careful to cover his mouth with a hand as a puff of fire escapes. “How have you been? Did you go to the Guardian Transformation a few weeks ago? I could see from the buildings that the Elders and Royal Ones chose humans again. Though, I’m pretty sure from the previous pair, one was a hellhound.”

Yixing smiles at the topic, moving around him to continue his duties while Minseok simply follows, careful to not bump into anyone, spill his drink, and bow politely to each person who casts him a glance and respectful bow. Phoenixes are respectful and Yixing has always enjoyed his company. “I honestly can’t remember the previous pair,” he answers, stopping by the main counter. “I believe I was a newborn babe at the time.”

“No,” Liyin counters, reaching over to gently card fingers through his hair. If Zhixiang reminds Yixing of the soft grasses of a field, Liyin reminds him of a beautiful flower, with hair a deep red and eyes a warm hazel brown. Though, they always tell him he’s like a flower too. He doesn’t know. “You were a young–what do humans call it?–teenager. I remember your parents bringing you to the ceremony but you preferred to play with the faeries instead.”

That would make a lot of sense, Yixing thinks, laughing in embarrassment.

“It’s nice to see you once more, Minseok,” Liyin greets, bowing her head when Minseok does. “Would you like some food to go? Some tea?”

Minseok simply stares at them for a few seconds, seeming to assess each of them, before he smiles and shakes his head. “No matter what you do, nymphs are always charming creatures.”

It pulls laughter from Yixing, reaching out to lightly tap Minseok’s shoulder. It’s still strong under his touch. “We haven’t even done anything.”

“Yet I know Liyin will pile a basketful of muffins and cakes–which I’m sure is not good for a phoenix’s body–and then a small carton of teas to go with it after.”

“You’re in the best shape I know,” Liyin counters, laughter as musical as some of the mermaids around, as she moves away to get the items mentioned and prepared. “Most phoenixes don’t look like you.”

“They sure do not,” Yixing agrees wholeheartedly, smiling at Minseok before going to help out Zhixiang again. “You still have the flames of life burning inside of you, bright and warm.”

“Now, where have I heard that before?” Minseok muses aloud. He’s clearly amused, a hint of a smile on his lips, but he continues to stay next to the counter instead of following after Yixing again.

Yixing smiles over his shoulder at him when he realizes he loses his new companion to Liyin’s quiet chatter, but he doesn’t mind, not when a group of faeries pass by one of the entrances to the establishment. He greets them all with a bright smile but the tallest catches his eye. It’s the prince of the kingdom, but when Yixing gives him a polite bow and a smile, he doesn’t expect the faery prince’s eyes to form pretty crescents before giving him a short wave and running away. In the midst of his flight, he shrinks in size and it catches the other faeries off-guard that they all can’t help but laugh. Yixing looks to them shocked, before Taeyeon, one of the older faeries, gives him an enchanting smile. “Don’t mind him,” she says, loud laughter quieting to a tinkling chime. “He’s always like that.”

Yixing stares at her confused. “But,” he mutters, looking from her and to the sky even though he can no longer see the faery prince. He’s seen him before but he’s never seen him act like that. “He–”

“I apologize, Yixing,” Taeyeon interrupts, still smiling at him, before she waves. “We must be on our way. Check up on the prince and all.”

After a hesitant nod, Yixing doesn’t even have a chance to voice anything else out. He simply watches as they fly away, wings glittering in the afternoon sunlight. The flowers next to him sway with the wind and his mind is suddenly filled with the overwhelming chatter around him.

‘ _The phoenix is staring at you_ ,’ a red lily murmurs, a giggle lacing her words. ‘ _He is as warm as the Sun’s rays_.’

‘ _He is polite too, kind_ ,’ another continues. Yixing rolls his eyes, turning to start picking up empty cups and hope there aren’t too many messes on the tables. They’ve tried letting the masses know that the quality of nature around them depends on how they take care of it but all the nymphs know that some species don’t heed their words, or they forget. ‘ _His intentions are mostly pure, Yixing_ ,’ he hears, ‘ _Though the radiating heat from his body could hint towards more mature thoughts_.’

“Lay!” Yixing suddenly screeches, catching the attention of the customers around him. He turns, quickly giving them all what he hopes is a placating smile, before turning back to the orange lily who spoke out of line. He doesn’t catch Minseok’s amused glance but he does rush up to the flower, kneeling by it immediately and hissing, “Lay, what have I told you about–”

‘ _I know, Yixing_ ,’ the lily interrupts. Yixing frowns. He shouldn’t be interrupted so often.

“Then you should know to mind your own business,” he takes the chance to glare at the nearby flowers as well. “Same goes for all of you. Stop gossiping so much.”

“Are they acting out of line again?”

Without any conscious effort, Yixing heaves a sigh before standing and turning. Minseok is there with his basket of goods in one hand and the crate tray of drinks propped on his opposite shoulder with the other. There’s a smile on his lips and Yixing is starting to think the phoenix is perpetually amused. It _has_ been a long time since they last saw each other. “Yes,” he admits, quietly, before he’s returning to picking up empty cups and large leaves. He looks back to the other, curiosity taking over his stress. “Are you on your way now?”

Minseok manages to nod and bow the slightest bit without dislodging the items from his body. Amazing. “Yes. I have some spoiled goods in my carriage. I must take it back to the nest before they spoil.” He smiles again, always so warm. “I may see you sooner the next time, Yixing, if you do not mind.”

Yixing pauses in his tasks, giving the phoenix another look. “Another visit so soon?” he asks, feeling the corners of his lips turn up without his consent. “That would be lovely.”

“Then I will ensure a second visit.” His fireproof tunic rustles when he turns to leave and it still amazes Yixing by how comfortable the material appears. It takes several minutes for Minseok to pack up his new items securely before he starts to settle himself in the seats and leaves, leaving the flowers to gossip some more. Yixing shakes his head fondly at them before turning to get back to work.

 

When Yixing arrives the next morning, bringing a specialized water-based elixir for all the trees, flower, shrubs, and other plants, he’s surprised to see Minseok outside The Clearing. He’s sitting on the ground, hunched over, but there’s a faint orange glow to his entire body, sans where his clothes cover it. He’s napping.

Yixing smiles at the sight, approaching the phoenix quietly. With years of schooling, he knows phoenixes are creatures nobody should ever startle. Plus, Minseok is radiating heat and it warms Yixing’s toes.

It’s still dusk out so Yixing lets Minseok nap as he gets a head start on preparing all the snacks and drinks he can for their first round of customers. He makes sure he isn’t too loud, grabbing the first cup of tea and muffin that comes out of the stone oven, and carefully places it on a large leaf next to Minseok’s lap. The glow is gone so Yixing assumes he’s fallen into a deep sleep.

“You should have woken me up, Yixing,” Minseok mumbles, startling Yixing into tripping into a tree. When he looks up and stretches his neck, his smile is wide, body glowing orange minutely before disappearing again. “I would have loved to keep you company.”

Unlike phoenixes, some creatures like to startle nymphs for some unknown reason. Yixing glares at the other, making the tree next to him shake in resonating anger. “I didn’t know when you arrived,” he explains, glare softening when Minseok starts to laugh. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Is it because you were taught not to startle us?”

There’s a pause of silence. “Maybe.”

When Minseok shakes his head, it’s fond, corners of his lips still tugged up into a small smile. “Those books are not the most accurate.” He hums, straightening up his back, and taking a bite out of the muffin. “Well, most of the time. If phoenixes warm up to you, they will treat you as kindly as you treat them,” he snorts. “Get it. _Warm up to you_. Phoenixes are always warm with others they truly like. And they’re _warm_.”

Yixing mimics his snort before turning to go back to the counter. “Living as long as you have has made your words none the wiser.”

“Oh, that was amusing,” Minseok calls out. His words cut short and Yixing looks over curiously, only to see Lu Han passing by, staring at each of them. Minseok bows in respect instinctively, Lu Han returning it just the same, but when Lu Han looks to Yixing, he can still see his gaze turn fond before they’re bowing to each other and Lu Han is off again. “He is doing a remarkable job so far.”

Yixing smiles softly, nodding, as he turns back to his work. “So I’ve heard.” He can hear Minseok hum before he’s moving around.

“May I help with preparing the shop?”

“Of course,” Yixing answers without a second thought. When he looks over his shoulder, Minseok is standing there with his leaf and cup, eyes wide and imploring. He looks years younger like this. It’s endearing. “Can you help feed the flowers and plants? I brought the special elixir.” He tilts his head in the direction to the far end of the counter, where there’s a crate tray similar to the one Minseok brought home the day before, with six large containers inside of it.

“Of course,” Minseok echoes, causing both of them to laugh.

The first to show up are always Zhixiang and Liyin and it’s as clear as a sunny day that they’re both surprised to see Minseok there for a second time so soon, helping around in The Clearing, but they all fall into a rhythm with ease. Minseok’s calm personality shines through the rest of the morning, helping keep Zhixiang calm when an elf manages to mar one of the tables with a stream of fire from his fingertip. Supposedly, the elf was practicing his magic before a rare, truly angry nymph threw him out for accidentally damaging property goods.

“I will fix it,” Minseok offers, once the commotion fades and he gets a good look at the damage. “This should not be a problem.”

It isn’t until there’s a lull in patrons that Minseok finally feels comfortable enough to mend the wood. With Liyin busy, Yixing and Zhixiang are his only audience and they watch in awe as Minseok closes his eyes. He simply stands there, unmoving, but then he breathes in deep before he opens his eyes. The irises are a warm orange, a dull flame within its depths, and his eyes are brimming with unshed tears. Slowly, he leans over the table where there’s a burn mark, tilts his head, and blinks a couple of times to let the tears fall. A soft hissing sound fills their ears and Yixing gasps as he watches the edges of the mark close up, crawling its way until both ends meet in the middle and the mark is completely gone.

When Yixing looks back up, there are no more tears in Minseok’s eyes but a soft, satisfied smile playing on his lips. “It should be how it once was,” Minseok quietly says, tilting his head down towards them politely.

“That’s incredible,” Zhixiang whispers, smile growing on his lips before he’s cheering. “Liyin! Let’s get another batch of peppermint tea brewing!”

“There’s a batch right there already waiting for you!”

It’s amazing how feisty those two can be with each other.

“Thank you,” Yixing says sincerely, returning Minseok’s gesture with a smile.

“Anything for you, Yixing.”

The sudden, _sole_ attention of Minseok makes Yixing heat up, cheeks flushing a soft pink as he brings in his lower lip to bite. He feels strange, uncharacteristically out of his element, and he bows quickly to turn away and try to do his job. He stops when he feels a soft tap to his shoulder.

“This is for you,” Minseok murmurs and when Yixing turns, there’s a flower that only grows near the phoenixes’ homes in his hands. Minseok’s smiling at him. “I thought this was one of the prettiest Lehua blossoms. Please keep it? This will bloom wonderfully in your personal garden.”

“But,” Yixing stutters, eyes wide, “But it won’t be able to survive.”

“I am sure you can keep it company until it is time.”

“But why would you…?” Yixing quiets as he gently takes the blossom from Minseok. Everything is so warm. “It could have lived longer with its brethren in the tree.”

Minseok sounds sheepish. “I requested help from another nymph. This flower has told me she was willing to accompany me to this part of the kingdom. She wants to explore new environments before she passes.”

“Oh.”

“The main tree where this flower is still thriving,” Minseok continues, gaze sad when Yixing looks up at him. “But it is also dying. It is said that when the blossom and the tree separate, rain will fall because the ancient lovers are separated. The nymph said the tree has already stopped talking but the flower was told to explore as much as she could, if it was possible.”

Yixing remembers hearing that tale, smiling down at her as he gently caresses the blossom in his hand. “Then I will take her on an adventure.”

‘ _Thank you, kind man_.’

Minutes pass as The Clearing fills up with more patrons, Yixing finally looking up when Minseok bends low enough to catch his gaze. They smile at each other. “I will be taking my leave,” Minseok announces, looking over Yixing’s shoulder to wave at Liyin and Zhixiang. “I will see you some time in the foreseeable future.”

“Okay,” Yixing says, reaching out to touch the ends of Minseok’s hair, fix it so it’s not so much in his eyes. “Please give the other nymph my greetings.” Suddenly, there’s an astonished look on Minseok’s face and Yixing is now terribly confused. “What?”

“Uh,” Minseok eloquently says. “There is no other– um.”

“What?” The blossom giggles in Yixing’s hand. He’s still confused. “Did I say something wrong?”

As quickly as the look of shock spreads on Minseok’s face, it disappears and warmth spreads again. Minseok chuckles, shaking his head gently, before reaching out to gently cup Yixing’s cheek. Warm. “I will tell the other nymph your greetings,” he acquiesces.

‘ _You bring so much life, Yixing_.’

 

 _Ever honest and highly sarcastic, merpeople are one of the most deceiving of all earth’s creatures. Within the water, they are beautiful and intoxicating, with their laughter and songs their alluring quality. It doesn’t change much when they simply speak, but out of the water, their laughter and songs become unpleasant, shrill, and almost disconcerting. They’re one of the most famous creatures known, the ones always featured in creature textbooks. While they can be vicious, it’s nice to know that some are as kind as the hellhounds that inhabit their kingdom_.

 

Rain falls within the next few days. The mermaids rejoice and the hellhounds whine but Yixing can honestly say he isn’t surprised, or bothered for that matter. He thinks it’s refreshing. The scent of rain calms him as much as the aroma of flowers but–

“Aren’t there any more dry seats in here?”

–but not very many patrons enjoy damp dining experiences.

Looking over, Yixing catches sight of a sorceress who clearly looks like she’d rather be anywhere else but there. She’s staring at him–he should be terrified, really, but why bother–so he gives her a placating smile, walking over to her out of his place under the steady beat of the raindrops. “I apologize, miss, but most of the drier areas are taken. You may wait at the counter until a seat opens up.” He’d gesture towards the obvious seats, but that might be too rude of a nymph to do.

“I don’t have time for this.”

Yixing doesn’t let her attitude or the way her scent seems to permeate the immediate area affect him, but he knows it’s hard when magic is inherently thrown into the mix. Each person of magic has their own alluring quality and sometimes–according to those old textbooks–it’s even unknown to the person themselves.

“That sorceress was out of line,” comes a calming voice, Yixing tilting his head to hear it better. “It’s not like they’re a witch and they’ll burn if they get wet with the liquid.”

Yixing has no idea if that’s supposed to make him laugh, but it does anyways, looking over his shoulder. It’s a reference to some film he’s heard about countless times before. Besides Lu Han, he knows only so few people who have watched films produced by humans and Junmyeon is one of them, always fascinated with the stories that come out of their heads.

“If you ask me, water has some of the most magical qualities on this earth. It allows me to have a tail when the human toes become too overwhelming.”

“The human toes are adorable, if you ask me,” Yixing counters, watching as Junmyeon smiles brightly. His ashy grey hair falls into his seafoam green eyes and the scales on his forearms and the lower halves of his legs glint in the faeries’ lights around them. Yixing knows Junmyeon can be as terrifying as the tales of the sea, but he thinks he’s blessed not to have seen that side of him yet. “Have you missed us?”

Junmyeon sighs, closing his eyes and running fingers through his hair. “I’ve been constantly petitioning to get part of the river to divert and run adjacent to The Clearing but apparently, that’ll cause ‘too much havoc’ and ‘too much work’ for the elves and hellhounds.”

“And that’ll disrupt the other businesses around us,” Yixing teases back, though he does give him a sympathetic smile. “It would be nice to have the river running close to us,” he admits, “I’ve always enjoyed spending time next to the water.”

When Junmyeon laughs, it sounds airy, almost disconcerting when he’s out of the water, but he tries to cover his mouth with his hands. “Maybe because we complement each other well,” he says, eventually calming enough to look throughout the establishment. “Where’s Zhixiang?”

Instantly, Yixing sighs. He scans the area only to see Zhixiang hiding behind the counter, sticking close to the line of trees that provide the most coverage from the rain. “Do you remember? He doesn’t like the rain as much as Liyin and I do.”

Junmyeon smiles. “It’s because you resemble a flower, Yixing.” He nods in the direction away from them, Yixing looking over to see Liyin making her way for him with trays in her hands. “You seem to be busy. Take care of your business. I’ll see you later.”

Yixing watches as Junmyeon turns, skips around some of the tables and patrons, and makes sure to stay within a patch of raindrops. His scales practically glitter with the moisture and Junmyeon literally starts to _skip_ his way out of The Clearing.

Whoever said mermaids and mermen have weak legs was an awful liar.

 

It’s late at night, but before the shop even closes because _apparently_ he’s been working too hard and Liyin and Zhixiang want him to get more sleep, and Yixing murmurs to himself as he catches sight of all the plants near the pathway on his way home. Some of them are fading away. They’ve already gone quiet, simply breathing their last breaths of life. Others are blooming, reaching their peaks, and Yixing takes the time to smile at each one, at least.

Rain still falls gently over his part of the kingdom and it coaxes all the water creatures to come out and play. There are water faeries flying through the skies and mermen and mermaids dancing through the streets. Yixing is honestly surprised to see Junmyeon again when he makes it to the edge of the current city. The path leads to a smaller clearing than The Outskirts but contains a large waterfall that leads to a river that eventually leads to a lake in the neighboring city.

Junmyeon is calmly twirling through the raindrops, pausing long enough to breathe in the scent of fresh rain, casting a strange aura around him. It draws Yixing in, gaze focused entirely on the way Junmyeon moves. He’s not as graceful or smooth as some other dancers he’s seen, but there’s something in the way he carries himself, confident yet reserved, beautiful and scary all at once.

 _Splash_.

Junmyeon disappears from sight and Yixing blinks, dumbfounded to find himself so close to the edge of the river. He searches around him for the merman only to look down into the waters below. The faeries’ lights hovering near them provide little light compared to the moon and he startles when he hears rustling in the nearby trees, but when he looks, he sees a soft, golden pair of eyes staring at him between the trunks and shrubs. Joohyun peeks her head out, walking further towards him for better view, before looking off to the side. Yixing follows her gaze only to see a shimmer of a merman swimming quickly through the river towards the main waterfall.

The merman jumps from behind the curtain to cut through it and dive into the water again, and this is where his grace lies. The way he swims and moves along and against the currents of the stream. Junmyeon is enchanting in his own element–

“Yixing?!” Junmyeon squeaks, finally catching sight of him before flailing and smacking himself in the water.

Yixing’s eyes widen in surprise as he rushes along the bank to get closer to him. He swears he can hear a rumbling growl coming from Joohyun, like she’s laughing, before she disappears. “Junmyeon?” he calls, searching the waters for his friend.

Suddenly, a head pops up in front of him and Yixing gasps, falling backwards with eyes wide. “Don’t startle me like that!”

“What are you doing to _me_?!” Yixing counters, still feeling a bit out of breath from the shock.

There’s a moment of silence where they stare at each other, the moon seeming to illuminate Junmyeon’s eyes even more, and his skin is glistening. It’s glistening under the natural lights and Yixing heaves a sigh as he sits more comfortably on the damp ground. “I apologize,” he says, his heart slowing back down to a normal pace. “You caught me by surprise.”

“So, you stop and stare?” Junmyeon questions back, eyes wide and curious. “I would’ve engaged you in conversation if I knew you were behind me.”

At that, Yixing laughs softly. “Joohyun also caught me off-guard too. She was here moments ago.”

“Ah, yes,” Junmyeon breathes, wiggling backwards some to look around them. “She tends to visit this place around this time of night.”

“Oh?” That surprises Yixing, looking around too to see where she could’ve possibly gone. He’s heard the wolves tend to circle the kingdom during the day but during the night, he’s not entirely sure what they do. They must sleep at some point, but he’d guess they’d sleep during the day since there should supposedly be fewer threats then.

They hear more rustling but when they look towards the main path, it’s the golden-haired man, the previous wolf guardian. They all stare at each other before he continues on his way, a hint of something furry disappearing between the leaves.

Junmyeon hums next to him, as if affirming lately in responding to his rhetorical question. “I’m not too sure either,” he murmurs, voice coming out softer than before. “But I enjoy her company as well as yours.”

Yixing’s heard of stories about merpeople, how they’re distantly related to sirens, and that they can be equally as dangerous as them. He’s met plenty of both throughout his lifetimes but so few have had the same effect on him as Junmyeon. It feels like there’s a pull in his mind whenever he locks eyes with him and he can’t tell if it’s intentional or accidental from Junmyeon’s end.

“Yixing?” Junmyeon breathes, and he realizes, belatedly, that he’s leaning in closer to the merman. “Are you–”

Junmyeon’s pushed himself up onto the bank, splashing Yixing’s legs, and he jolts at the cold shock, breaking eye contact and looking away. It feels like the air’s been taken out of his lungs. “Junmyeon,” he whispers, chancing a glance back at him to see the other smiling at him softly, almost sadly.

“It’s the water,” Junmyeon explains, as if this is the first time. It’s not, and Yixing forgets. “If I’m literally out and away from it, I won’t have the same effect on you as I do in it.” He lowers himself back into the water, arms relaxing until he reaches out and hesitates before grabbing Yixing’s hand. He turns it over, leaves a gentle kiss on the back of his hand. “I’ll go ahead and leave. Stay here as long as you want. Bathe in the moonlight and rest on the soft grasses.”

“I’m not a wolf or a hellhound,” Yixing murmurs, hint of a smile on his lips, as he stares at Junmyeon’s worried eyes. “Stay. This is your sanctuary. I’ll go.”

“Then visit once more tomorrow.”

Yixing hums, a bit surprised, “Why?”

Junmyeon lets go of his hand then, backing away and sinking lower into the water. There’s a small smile on his lips too, this time a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I have a present for you, but I expected to give it to you in the future, if I didn’t mess things up again.” He shrugs, causing ripples to form in the water, as he twirls. “And I just wanted to give it to you but I completely forgot earlier when I went to visit and it was still raining.” His antics make Yixing smile, reaching out to drag his fingers through the water in front of him.

“Can you tell if it’s going to rain again tomorrow?”

Stopping, Junmyeon looks to the sky and searches it. “The skies are starting to clear even more now, but it might.”

“It’s because the Lehua flower was separated from its tree,” Yixing quietly says, looking up towards the sky thoughtfully, tries to count the stars above them. “But she wishes to see the world before fate has her join her love in the stars.”

“I’ve read about that tale before,” Junmyeon muses. “When they’re separated, the world cries for their reunion.” A pause. “Then the rain will continue until she passes as well.”

Yixing smiles. “I will bring her by. She will think the waterfall is beautiful.”

“You are–” When Yixing looks to him, he freezes, eyes growing wide comically.

“I’m what?”

“Cool!” Junmyeon blurts out, cheeks pinking. “You’re cool. Cool as the other side of the river. Chill as ice.”

Yixing stares, confused.

“Chill,” Junmyeon eventually drawls out, hand coming up and gliding it through the air next to him. “Cool.”

“O… kay?” Yixing says, asks, bursting out into laughter when Junmyeon ends up groaning and immediately disappears into the water. He watches as the merman swims around, eventually swimming with other mermen and mermaids that join him, and he takes that as his cue to leave when Junmyeon pops up next to him again, startling him.

“I’m so awkward,” he admits, mouth barely above the water. “I’m sorry. Just go. Before I make things even worse.”

Without meaning to, Yixing laughs as he reaches out towards the merman. Junmyeon meets him halfway and he taps his index finger against the underside of Junmyeon’s wrist. “It’s okay. I’ll pass by tomorrow.”

 

The next day brings light rainfall and the presence of a rainbow. The faeries are dancing in the sky and Yixing’s pretty sure the faery popping and locking off to the side is the prince. Interesting.

The Lehua blossom is cradled in his hand with its water and food in a satchel Yixing has across his shoulder. They’re taking their time, traveling along the river, and Yixing whispers to her as they walk past some humans, a vegetable shop full of fruits “because I’m pretty sure a tomato and a squash are _fruits_ , Hana, not vegetables,” and see another pair of mermaids swimming next to them on the way to the waterfall. ‘ _You cannot criticize the shop owner for putting fruits on display if it’s meant for vegetables, Yixing_.’

“I know.” Yixing ends up sighing in defeat, casting a glance over to still see Tzuyu and Mina swimming along with him. They’re both underwater but when Tzuyu tilts her head to see him, she raises her head high enough to be able to hear him. “Are you two keeping me company?”

Tzuyu doesn’t slow her pace but she says something under the water that has Mina lifting her head high enough to listen to them too. “We were amused,” she answers once her mouth is free of the water. “I’ve heard you were passing by with a Lehua flower.”

“Oh? From who?”

“Junmyeon,” Mina pipes up, water sputtering out of her mouth with how fast she lifted her head from the river.

Tzuyu laughs, as disconcerting as Junmyeon’s was in The Clearing, and Yixing tries not to wince at the sound. “Our laughs don’t sound as bad under the water,” she says, before she’s lowering her head to cover the rest of her laughter. She murmurs something else but Yixing can’t understand her.

Mina frowns. “She says I talk about him too much but he talks too much about you.” She glares at her friend when she lifts her head up again. “I do not.”

“You do too.” Tzuyu’s smile is innocently sweet, unnervingly so. “Anyways,” she says, turning to face him again. “We’re almost there. Mina told me Junmyeon told her that he left you a flower on the riverbank.”

‘ _Another flower?_ ’ Hana questions in Yixing’s head, making him confused too. ‘ _Do you have a guess as to what kind? I don’t have much relations with other flowers_.’

Yixing shakes his head, looking down to the blossom in his hand. “I don’t know,” he whispers, hearing Tzuyu and Mina duck under the water again and swim ahead of them. “I’ve heard of most flowers, but I haven’t seen much of the ones mermaids and mermen are constantly around.” He gasps when he clearly sees the flower, white petals with hints of lavender and blue in the center of each one and spreading outwards.

“Oh,” Tzuyu comments, both her and Mina hovering next to it. “He got you a water hyacinth.”

“It’s pretty.”

The flower looks lonely but when Mina reaches out to touch it, it seems to brighten the slightest bit. Yixing smiles as he closes the distance between them. “It is,” he agrees, crouching down to stare at it briefly before gently picking it up. “You’re a beauty.”

‘ _You think all flowers are beauties_ ,’ the flower comments dryly. ‘ _But thanks_.’

“What do you expect?” Yixing counters. “I’m a nymph. Of course I think all flowers are beautiful.”

There’s a moment of silence before Tzuyu speaks, catching Yixing’s attention before the loud splashing does. “You’re interesting, huh,” she mumbles, staring at him pointedly. “Do all nymphs speak to flowers? Have I asked you this before?”

“Tzuyu!” Junmyeon suddenly screeches, the sound piercing in Yixing’s ears. “Don’t ask him that!”

“But I’m curious!” Tzuyu whines before she’s ducking and swimming away. She’s probably complaining within the water, if Mina’s scrunched up face is anything to go by, but she disappears too to follow after her. Even Junmyeon gives him a wave, from where he’s located in the center of the lake, and he looks sheepish with pink cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” he calls, lifting a finger and awkwardly pointing the way back down the river. “I’m just– I’m going to go now.” He eyes the flower in his hand. “I thought of you, Yixing. You’re truly too wonderful.”

Yixing wants to ask ‘for what,’ but then Junmyeon is swimming away before he can even utter a word, jaw slack open. Is Junmyeon _swimming away_ from him?

‘ _Whatever you did to that poor, poor man_ ,’ the hyacinth mutters, almost as if he’s shaking his head at Yixing in disappointment.

‘ _He’s absolutely adorable_ ,’ Hana offers in consolation.

Yixing simply stands there, until Tzuyu swims back up to him and splashes him. “So? What’s the answer?”

 

 _Hellhounds are some of the friendliest creatures one can meet. Ever playful, ever kind, they are willing to help those in need and are eager to receive a good scratch on the head or back. Their bodies radiate almost as much heat as a phoenix, always ideal when the winter season arrives, and they’re always willing to cuddle those who need to be warmed_.

 

By the time the sun is high in the sky, Yixing remembers why he doesn’t really have aquatic plants at his house and why he doesn’t exactly travel with two plants instead of one or many. With one, it’s easy to have a conversation with it. With more than two, it’s a joyous occasion to be celebrated because conversations can become amusing or enlightening depending on who’s with him. But when it’s just two flowers, it’s easy to get into arguments or raucous laughter and Yixing is annoyed to have found himself with the former.

Aquatic plants are pleasant under the water. But if aquatic beings are taken into account, one would find his or herself with plenty of sarcasm or severely honest or strange comments to last a lifetime. It’s the same with their plants.

‘ _Honestly, Junmyeon mentioned you’re one of the nicest people he’s ever met. I can’t say he’s wrong_.’

‘ _Yixing is honestly nice_ ,’ Hana comments, confused. ‘ _What are you getting at?_ ’

‘ _He seems naively nice to me, like, wow, how is this guy so nice?_ ’

“I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a compliment,” Yixing mutters, frowning down at the hyacinth in his other hand. “Like with every other single comment you’ve given me since we met.”

‘ _And I’d like to keep it that way_ ,’ he laughs.

“Your beauty is unparalleled with your words,” Yixing drawls, causing Hana to laugh. He smiles at the stand owners he walks by, taking his time to stare at some of the vegetables he knows have come from Zhixiang’s gardens.

Strolling the streets of the Western City is a nice change of pace. There aren’t as many flowers in this area, but there are plenty of plants. Vines crawl throughout the edges of the streets to create small walkways and trees have grown tall to help keep shade for more of the businesses and houses stationed here. Though, the heart of the Western City seems to be clustered more than anything, unlike the Eastern City, with stands and shops at every corner. It brings a lot of different smells too and Yixing sneezes when he’s assaulted by the scent of a bakery and something foul.

‘ _I swear if you sniff me, I will poison you in your sleep_.’

Yixing snorts at the hyacinth’s words, glaring at him briefly, before walking towards one of the restaurants where the smell is more pleasing. “I won’t sniff you. That’s degrading.”

‘ _For you or for me, because that’s highly degrading for me. For you, I don’t know_.’

“Would you stop?” Yixing whines, pleading. He’s hungry and his stomach is starting to growl and he hasn’t heard of this particular restaurant before, Cherish.

“Stop what?” someone asks him, voice deep and sounding strangely innocent. “Yixing?”

Yixing frowns in confusion, looking around for the source of the voice, until he turns around and sees Chanyeol standing behind him, wearing a dark button-up and slacks with a waist apron. His ears are twitching on top of his head and Yixing still wants to rush over and play with them because they’re _so soft_. “I didn’t know you work here, Chanyeol,” he says in greeting, eyes still glued to the hellhound’s ears. “Hi.”

Chanyeol’s laughter is bright, rushing towards him and bending low enough for Yixing to pet him. He even holds a hand out. “I can hold the Lehua flower for you,” he offers and Yixing does so eagerly, knowing she can handle whatever heat radiates from his body.

Within seconds, Yixing’s fingers are sinking into Chanyeol’s hair. He lightly scratches at his scalp, behind his ears, and coos when he hears the hellhound growl and whimper at his touch. “You’re still so adorable,” he murmurs, jumping when Chanyeol barks and smoke comes out of his mouth.

‘ _I do not mix well with hellhounds, nymph_.’

If Chanyeol had a tail in this form, Yixing is sure he would be wagging it. He ignores the hyacinth. “I’m starving. Do you have an available seat?”

Chanyeol whimpers when he takes his hand away but he’s quick to straighten and look around determinedly. The restaurant is mostly full at this time of day, but there are a few single tables next to the windows at the far side of the establishment. “Let me go see,” he answers, giving Yixing a bright smile before he’s off.

Yixing can’t even get a word in but he shakes his head fondly at him, taking the chance to look around the restaurant curiously. Along with Chanyeol, there are a couple more hellhounds with a variety of feathered serpents slithering around the ground and frosted foxes before they each transform to serve the customers waiting for their orders. He gasps when a frosted fox transforms next to him, ears perched on top of her head and bright smile in place.

“Have you been tended to yet?” she asks. She has a necklace on and he guesses her name is Soojung by the looks of it.

“I got him!” Chanyeol answers for him, making his way through the crowd to get to him. His smile is wide and pleasing when Soojung simply rolls her eyes at him. “You’re the best,” he sings out, Soojung cracking and laughing before she’s helping the customers entering the restaurant behind him. “Follow me, Yixing.”

“Okay,” Yixing says, following after him easily. Sitting next to the window a little further into Cherish; it’s ideal for checking out what’s going on outside. It looks like there’s a library a few buildings down and a clothing shop next door but he wonders what the cost of everything is.

Empty bowls and plates are placed in front of him and he looks up surprised to see Chanyeol still carrying Hana before gently placing her in a bowl of shallow water, ‘ _How considerate_.’ Next, he holds his hand out in a silent gesture, the hyacinth chanting ‘ _no, no, no_ ’ until Yixing hands him over and Chanyeol places him in a bowl of deeper water. ‘ _Oh, this is nice_.’

Chanyeol’s smile is wide as he gestures towards the menu in the middle of the table. “Would you like some help with the menu? How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I guess we’ve both been busy,” Yixing answers, still staring up at him surprised, before turning his focus to the menu before him. “What do you recommend? I’m guessing this is where you went after your last visit to The Clearing.”

“Well,” Chanyeol chuckles. “It’s hard to return for a visit when I know I made Liyin upset with her hydrangeas.”

“Oh yeah,” Yixing murmurs, remembering very clearly the day Chanyeol was sick and accidentally coughed himself back into a dog and spit fire on the unsuspecting patch of flowers. That was a traumatic day. He grimaces, immediately looking to his own flower companions. “Yeah, she’s still not over that.”

Chanyeol grimaces with him. “I wouldn’t be either. I– I took–”

“We know, Chanyeol,” Yixing interrupts, placing a hand on top of his own. He gently rubs his thumb across the top of his hand, soothingly, waiting until Chanyeol finally looks up at him again so he can give him a small smile. “Is there a special today? I’ll take that unless there’s something else you think I would like.”

The troubled look disappears from Chanyeol’s face at his words, expression softening until his ears droop the slightest bit and he nods instead. “There is a special. I think you’d like it. I’ll bring more water too for you.”

“Thank you.”

 

Yixing honestly doesn’t know what he expected when he entered a random restaurant where Chanyeol works. Actually, he expected decent food, decent company, and decent respect. What he actually got was some of the most delicious food he’s ever eaten, the strangest company in the form of a hellhound and frosted fox, and some decent respect as Soojung takes one of his mini-hotdogs before asking him if she could have another one.

“If you want to ever go back to the Eastern City,” she says, making sure to swallow the food in her mouth before continuing. “You should build Liyin another new sanctuary full of hydrangeas, or something.”

“I killed all of them!” Chanyeol hisses, smacking her hand when she goes for another of Yixing’s food. His eyes glow red briefly, while hers retaliates with ice blue. “I practically committed murder.”

“Yeah,” Yixing murmurs, grabbing the piece of meat before Soojung does. She tends to freeze her food apparently, and it’s not very appetizing for him. He prefers warm and, if possible, rare grilled food. He doesn’t deny it. “You did. It was honestly traumatic for any nymph who was there. Though, it has happened a few times before you ever did it.”

Chanyeol pouts, whimpers, as he puts his head down on the table in front of him. His chin rests on his hands and his ears are flattened against his head. “I know,” he whispers. “I’ve apologized but I still feel terrible.”

And like this, Yixing can’t help but reach out and pet his head, rub his left ear affectionately. “I know, Chanyeol,” he says with a small smile, before he frowns when he sees Soojung take another one of his hotdogs. “Soojung.”

“Hey, you’re not eating it,” she argues before an icy mist leaves her lips to chill it. “But break’s over for me. It’s nice meeting you, Yixing.”

Within seconds, she transforms back into her fox, a beautiful white coat with long, black tipped ears and tail. Her necklace rattles when she jumps from her chair and to the floor and it sways with each step she makes to the front of the restaurant. “Nice meeting you too,” Yixing calls after her, watching as her tail flicks at him in response.

“Yixing?” Chanyeol questions quietly, drawing his attention back to him. He’s still absentmindedly rubbing his ear but when he tries to pull away, Chanyeol whines. “Do you forgive me?”

Almost immediately, Yixing returns to petting through Chanyeol’s hair, almost seeing his tail swaying back and forth behind him waiting patiently for his answer. He’s one of the few hellhounds unable to completely transform into a human figure, with his ears as evidence, but he guesses that’s his charm. “You know you’re not seeking forgiveness from me,” he answers just as quietly, watching as a flash of fear passes through Chanyeol’s eyes before he closes them, leans his head against his hand in understanding. “Are you done with your shift? Is this why you’ve joined me?”

Chanyeol nods against his hand, automatically burrowing his head a little more to get his hand where he wants it. “Pretty much. You were my last customer of the day.”

Yixing smiles at the action, finishing the rest of his meal in four bites and one long gulp of his pomegranate juice. “Then come on. Let’s talk a walk.” It amuses him how quickly Chanyeol perks up at the words, nodding eagerly and helping to clean up his meal.

 

Hana is practically glowing in Chanyeol’s palms. Yixing can’t stop staring at her even if they’re walking down some random pathway and Chanyeol is constantly talking about something Yixing lost track of an hour ago. Other nymphs and humans they see smile and wave at them, some of them snickering when they can hear Cin’s words in Yixing’s hands, and honestly, he can’t take his eyes off of the Lehua flower… is it purring? Do flowers purr?

‘ _No, Yixing, flowers do not purr_ ,’ the hyacinth deadpans, “ _Though I don’t know what’s going on with her_.’

“Did I say that out loud?” Yixing whispers to the flower, catching the attention of Chanyeol next to him.

‘ _No, but I can hear her… weird sound all the way over here_.’

“Yixing?”

Yixing looks up at the call of his name, immediately locking eyes with Chanyeol. His ears are twitching but his sole attention is on him. Yixing feels bad. “I’m sorry, Chanyeol,” he says softly, before casting a quick glance down to the Lehua flower who’s now resting quietly in the hellhound’s hands. “It’s just– Hana looks so happy with you. It distracted me.”

“Oh?” Chanyeol looks down to the flower in his hands, staring at her curiously, before bringing her up so he can look at her closer. “Is she awake?” he whispers, asking Yixing. He shakes his head.

“She just fell asleep.” The flower doesn’t even move in Chanyeol’s grasp. Yixing is amazed. She seemed to have trouble sleeping in his house after she was moved. But with Chanyeol, she’s completely relaxed. “She’s not even– How? What are you doing, Chanyeol?”

“I’m not doing anything?”

‘ _It’s probably because his body heat reminds her of wherever she’s from_ ,’ Cin answers. ‘ _She’s from where the phoenixes live, right? That’s probably why_.’

“Oh.” Yixing pouts at the explanation, looking between the flower and the hellhound, before staring at Chanyeol’s confused face. “Cin says it’s probably because your body heat reminds her of her home with the phoenixes.”

“Really?” Chanyeol asks. When Yixing nods, a sudden look of admiration takes over Chanyeol’s entire expression and he feels the wind get knocked out of his chest at the sight. It’s directed towards him and then the flower in the hellhound’s hands and wow. “Can I take care of her then, Yixing?” he questions quietly, almost reverently, as he gently strokes one of Hana’s petals. “I’ve been reading all kinds of textbooks recently about flowers. I know how much water these flowers need and what kinds of food is best for them and everything.”

Chanyeol sounds so earnest, so taken with awe, that Yixing finds himself completely entranced by him. He’s completely different from years ago when he accidentally burned part of The Clearing. “You have?” he asks, watching as Chanyeol nods eagerly. “Because of what happened back then?”

“Partially,” Chanyeol admits, smiling at him sheepishly. “I also wanted to impress you.”

“Oh.”

‘ _Oh_.’

“Oh,” Yixing repeats, completely stunned. He doesn’t exactly know what to say, but then Chanyeol’s ears keep moving on top of his head and his eyes are big and pleading and he’s adorable. “Well,” he murmurs, watching as Chanyeol huddles in more on himself and tries to make himself smaller in front of him. “Oh, stop that,” he chides immediately, reaching out to scratch behind his ear. “You’ve grown so much.”

Chanyeol whines but moves in closer to get better scratches. “Yixing.”

Yixing laughs, feeling light and happy. “Take care of Hana, Chanyeol,” he concedes, smiling up at him proudly. “You’ll do wonderful taking care of her.”

Chanyeol’s eyes light up like the faery lights at night. “Really? I can?”

Nodding, Yixing can’t help but gently rouse the flower from sleep, softly petting and cooing at her until she wakes. “Hey beautiful,” he whispers. He smiles when Chanyeol leans in close and tilts his head to try and hear her response. “I’m going to let Chanyeol bring you to his house. He’s going to take care of you, okay? Are you okay with this?”

‘ _Hm?_ ’ she hums, still sleepy. ‘ _Will he take good care of me?_ ’

“When was the last time you’ve slept this good?”

There’s a moment of silence before she speaks again, Chanyeol whimpering because he can’t hear her like Yixing can. ‘ _Before my husband died and Minseok took care of me_.’

Yixing smiles gently at the words, feeling his heart ache for her. “Chanyeol will take good care of you. I’ll make sure to visit until it’s your time.”

At those words, Chanyeol looks to him alarmed, but then he remembers the story behind the Lehua flowers, frowning as he looks back down to the blossom in his hands. “I’ll make sure you’re happy before you go,” he says, making it sound like a promise.

Waiting for Hana’s response is like waiting for the sun to come out of his hiding spot behind the clouds, but then she speaks and Yixing feels like crying happy tears for her. ‘ _He’s so genuine, kind, and warm, Yixing. Thank you_.’

“Take care of her, Chanyeol,” Yixing says, as his final words on the matter. They’re at the southern edge between the Western and Eastern Cities and Yixing can’t count the number of times people have smiled and waved at him since he was in the Western City, but it doesn’t matter when he’s waving one of his precious flowers goodbye. “If you need anything, just come find me.”

Chanyeol looks like he’s ready to shift into his canine form to run around him, bark, and wag his tail excitedly but Yixing knows he’s stopping himself because he’s still holding the blossom in his hands. His smile is bright though, letting a bark of fire escape when he rushes in to hug Yixing tightly. “Thank you, Yixing,” he says slightly jumping against him in his excitement. Yixing laughs. He’s really precious. “You’re the best!”

Yixing takes the chance to lightly tug on Chanyeol’s ear, smiling as Chanyeol yelps before leaning in to lick his cheek. “Oh, come on,” Yixing says lightly, joking. “You’re welcome.”

 

 _Feathered serpents are the creatures one doesn’t expect to find. As one of the most graceful creatures on earth, they appear to be floating on the ground as they make their way from one place to another. With the feathers that line their upper bodies, they’re also capable of flying through the skies with the birds and faeries. Their humanoid forms are even more beautiful as one could expect; it just takes patience and trust to ever see the beauty in its full glory_.

 

Walking with Chanyeol to his house, Yixing is still surprised by Hana’s affection for the hellhound as well as how warm the entire little village is. But on the way back, he’s surprised to see feathered serpents gliding through the skies, weaving in, out, and around the faeries’ lights, and some transforming back into their human forms before him. Usually staying in the Eastern City, he easily forgets that feathered serpents like to come out and play when dusk comes in the Western and Southern Cities.

‘ _So, I’m not saying that I worry for your safety_ ,’ Cin mentions. ‘ _But I am saying one of those slimy snakes has been following you for quite some time_.’

“What?” Yixing looks to the hyacinth in his hand before looking around on the ground, stopping in his tracks to try and see if he’s telling the truth. Around him, people are still walking about, making his search harder to find, but then he hears a rustling and a hissed ‘ _you’re squeezing too tight, Jongin!_ ’ before he sees the tail of a serpent moving throughout the shrubs along the side of a building.

‘ _That one_ ,’ Cin says. ‘ _That one is weird. You attract the weird ones_.’

‘ _Jongin!_ ’ a flower squeals, before there’s a thud and then a male form is stumbling out from the bushes and the alley it was hiding in.

Yixing stares, amazed at seeing beautiful skin with scales that run along his neck, arms, and legs, bright green eyes with thin slits as pupils, and silver hair. The serpent is taller than him, seems to shine a little brighter out in the open, and oh, he’s naked. “Uh,” Yixing blurts out, face heating up and the flower in his hand cackling as loud as the roosters that crow in the mornings. “Hello?”

They catch each other’s gazes before the man transforms back into his serpent. He makes a dash for the bushes and Yixing can hear the plants talking and whining about ‘ _Jongin, what are you doing?!_ ’ He can’t hear the serpent talk, but he’s pretty sure it’s unusual a serpent is even able to talk to plants in the first place.

A few more minutes pass as Yixing watches the shrub and serpent battle it out. The hyacinth in his hand falls asleep and Yixing thinks about going back home, when the serpent stumbles back out in his humanoid form, but this time with pants he’s somehow gotten from somewhere else. The serpent’s cheeks are pink and his hair is fluffy. If Yixing didn’t know any better, he wouldn’t know he was a serpent based on those two facts alone.

“Hi,” the serpent sighs out, fingers coming together to twist into the fabric of his pants. “I’m, uh, Jongin.”

“Jongin?” Yixing echoes, staring at the man curiously. “Hello, I’m Yixing.”

“I know,” Jongin blurts out, before he starts wiggling. Are those feathers along his shoulders? Not scales? “I, um.”

For all his first meetings, this is by far one of the strangest ones Yixing has been a part in. He doesn’t think he’s met very many feathered serpents in his life either, now that he thinks about it. But now, Jongin is visibly squirming, gaze shifting back and forth between him and the shrubs, like he wants to transform again and hide.

“Um–”

“Wait,” Yixing interrupts, staring at him confused, the serpent’s words replaying in his head. “You know me?”

Jongin flinches at the question, head dipping low to avoid his gaze. “Yes?” he mumbles, a hiss forming at the end of his question. “Everybody knows you.”

“What? Really?”

“You’re one of the prettiest nymphs the kingdom has,” Jongin murmurs, so quietly Yixing can barely hear it with the chatter of passersby, but then he takes quick glances at him, his whole body taking on a pink hue. He’s cute. “Everybody knows Yixing of the Flowers.”

It takes Yixing by surprise, jolting the hyacinth in his hand awake, and he stares at the serpent flabbergasted. “What?” he repeats, unsure of what to say, but apparently it’s enough to have Jongin laugh in front of him, teeth bright and white when he smiles.

“You’re also as charming as the elves and faeries of the kingdom,” Jongin continues, smile softening and pupils dilating the littlest bit.

“I’m not charming,” Yixing sputters out, eyes uncharacteristically wide. “What are you talking about?” He watches as Jongin’s pupils go back to slits, amused. “Are you joking with me?”

Jongin chuckles, cheeks turning pink again as he ruffles his hair. “Go on a date with me and you’ll find out?”

It seems like Yixing can only remember one word in instances like this, the hyacinth chuckling in his palm. “What?”

 

“Okay, so, maybe asking you out on a date was a little too strong.”

Each step is fluid, almost like he’s floating on thin air, but Yixing still groans in discomfort. He leans his head against Jongin’s chest, because who knew a frosted fox was behind him and accidentally knocked into his calf with ice spilling from its mouth, and caused him to collapse on the spot?

Nobody. Nobody knew.

“What?” Yixing repeats, head feeling foggy. “Jongin.”

“I apologize,” Jongin says quietly, with a soft hiss. When Yixing finally lifts his head up to look at him, his gaze is warm. His body is warm too as he carries him to what looks like the Central City where the kingdom and hospital is located, which is strange because he thought serpents were cold-blooded. “I can come on a little strong at times and, well, I didn’t know what to say to you.”

Yixing grumbles. “A simple ‘hi, how are you’ is fine or a ‘hi, this is our first meeting I’m sorry I was naked.’”

“Hey!” Jongin shouts, startling Yixing in his arms, and the hyacinth resting on his stomach. He’s pouting at him when he looks up. “There are plenty of naked people running about.”

“Yes, but how many of them are as comfortable about it as you?”

“Practically everyone.” There’s a shimmer in Jongin’s eyes then and it makes Yixing worry the littlest bit, especially when he smiles and he finally notices his little fangs. “You’ve become too used to human clothes, but I can assume that most are nowadays, especially when they work in broad daylight with others.”

Too much has been going on and Yixing has decided he suddenly wants to sleep. He closes his eyes, grumbles incoherently, before he leans into Jongin’s embrace, no longer caring about what’s going on. Cin can wake him up. “I’ve only met you for a total of an hour now, possibly? You tire me out more than the nymphs and hellhounds combined.”

“Feathered serpents are charming creatures in themselves,” Jongin says proudly, chest puffing out the slightest bit at his own praise. “We’re beautiful and powerful. Well, most of us. I’ve been told I’m graceful too, but I’m always dropping things so I don’t know.”

At that, Yixing’s eyes fly open, hands reaching out to wrap around Jongin’s neck securely. “What?!” he squeaks out, not finding Jongin’s laughter reassuring at all. “You better not drop me!”

“I’m not going to drop you,” Jongin says, though there’s a teasing lilt in his words. “But I do think _you’re_ the beautiful one.”

Yixing groans again, closing his eyes and lightly knocking his head against Jongin’s collarbone. “Please, be quiet,” he begs. “I can’t take this anymore. Go back to the shy serpent who stumbled out to finally meet me.”

Jongin scoffs, voice becoming softer when he speaks. “And they say I’m the incredulous one.”

“You are!”

“Would you say you’ve become enchanted with me?”

Nymphs naturally aren’t physically aggressive creatures. They’re not the type to fight their way through their battles, but at this point, Jongin’s smile is cheeky and Yixing has half a mind to punch him in the face. “Are you kidding me?” he asks, deadpan, watching as Jongin’s expression turns serious as well. “Jongin–your name is Jongin, right?–where are you taking me?”

“The hospital,” Jongin answers with a shrug, staring at him briefly before his cheeks turn pink and he looks away. “Apparently, Soojung did something to your leg and that’s why you fainted. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

Yixing frowns. Now that’s something new. “Soojung?”

“Yeah, she works at Cherish. I’m not sure if you’ve been there, but the food is nice. They cater to a lot of different cuisines despite the owner being human.”

“Oh, yeah,” Yixing murmurs, finally noticing how dark the sky is and how bright the lights are around them. “I met her earlier, I think, unless that was yesterday.”

“Really? Well, she’s nice despite her strange attitude.”

With how little time Yixing has known Jongin, it’s apparent that he blushes easily like no other. His entire body tends to take on the same hue as his cheeks minutes later and even his entire demeanor changes depending on the conversation they’re having and the environment around them. Feathered serpents are interesting creatures.

“I’ve honestly been following you for a while now,” Jongin confesses, voice almost a whisper, “It hasn’t been intentional, but I saw you and how you resemble a flower and I just got reminded of my home a long time ago.” He sighs softly, a hiss coming out with it. “I used to sleep next to the flowers when I was a child because it calmed me down and–I don’t know–I wanted to meet you.”

There’s a blanket of silence between them, Jongin avoiding Yixing’s shocked gaze, before Jongin suddenly panics, almost dropping Yixing when he jolts in surprise. “Oh! Not, like, in a creeper way! I’ve seen you in The Clearing from time to time when I’m making my way through the kingdom and taking a walk and along the river when I want to talk to some of the mermaids and merman, but then I saw you coming back from the hellhounds’ village–I’m pretty sure that guy works in Cherish with Soojung too–and I just wanted to follow you.”

A moment of silence, ‘ _wow, what a weird snake_ ,’ and then Yixing is laughing, clutching onto his stomach and making sure Cin doesn’t fall to his death. It stills Jongin in his trek to the hospital, surprised, but then he’s smiling, pupils dilating the slightest bit as he stares down at him.

“I’m taking it as a good sign that I made you laugh,” he says, “Unless it’s because I just made a complete fool of myself, then I’m going to quickly drop you off at the hospital only to avoid you for the rest of our lives.”

“No,” Yixing breathes out, trying to control his laughter. “You’re an adorable guy.” He laughs. “Very strange, but refreshing. Thank you.”

Jongin turns pink again at his words. “Well,” he murmurs, resuming his walk. “You’re welcome.”

“It’s nice to know that I’m calming to someone, though you were flustered when you first met me.”

“Those plants were cruel,” Jongin complains. “One of them pricked me with a thorn to get out of there.”

“Oh yeah,” Yixing murmurs, looking up at him curiously. “About that. I didn’t know feathered serpents could talk to plants.”

Jongin makes a weird noise, but Yixing guesses it’s of understanding, or something. “Yeah, not many can,” he answers. “But a few of us can find a few plants to become friends with. It’s strange. It’s like we meet an understanding with each other and then it opens up a deeper sense of communication, if that makes any sense.”

“And I’m guessing you’re one of them?” Yixing asks, looking around when Jongin’s footsteps sound more solid and seeing dirt pathways transforming into cobbled stone ways.

“Ever since I was young,” Jongin informs, a small smile on his face. “The flowers would sing me to sleep. Some of the older nymphs said I could’ve been a flower prince because of it.”

“Wow.” Yixing stares at him amazed. “That’s actually pretty cool.”

Jongin shrugs. “Yeah.” His ears are pink this time. “Anyways, I know I tease a lot but I’m surprised by how easily I talk to you. I’m going to check up on you after I drop you off, but please don’t be creeped out if it’s just me in my serpent form.” He chuckles, embarrassed. “You’re really pretty, Yixing of the Flowers.”

Yixing slaps him lightly on the forehead. “I have no such title.”

Jongin smiles. “In this kingdom, you do.”

 

The Medic Hall is pretty much what it sounds like. The hospital has large hallways that branch off to various specialized areas and those in the profession wear necklaces or bracelets signifying their place within the field. Yixing gets taken to the Emergency Wing where he sees Suji and Seulgi arguing over what appears to be a child with a bruised knee. The mother is getting into the argument with them but when Seulgi sees them, she immediately excuses herself to tend to them.

A sweet voice fills the air and Jongin hisses at the sound immediately, fangs elongating in Suji’s direction as she encourages the boy to sleep so his cells can heal faster at the wounded site. “I apologize,” Jongin hisses, his grips on Yixing’s sides and thighs tightening. “I am not fond of sirens.”

“Here,” Seulgi interrupts, reaching up to put bundles of cotton in their ears. “This should help with the songs. Can you still hear me?”

The vibrations in Jongin’s chest fades until it’s a steady thrum, so Yixing nods, tries to get out of Jongin’s grasp. Seulgi helps him, but when both feet are finally on the ground, Yixing gasps as a shock goes through his left leg and makes his knee buckle at his weight.

“Soojung really did a number on you,” Jongin mumbles, but Yixing barely hears it.

“What?” he asks, looking to Seulgi who’s now crouching down and lifting up his pant leg to see the damage. “I’m sure I just need a night’s rest and I’ll be okay.”

Seulgi’s lips form a thin line before she nods and looks up at him with bright eyes. “There are no marks whatsoever so the damage must be internal. We can have one of the sirens help treat you until you’re stable on your two feet again.”

Yixing gapes, “Really?” before looking to Jongin who looks just as surprised. But then he’s frowning within a minute and gently maneuvering him into Seulgi’s grasp.

“I’m going to Soojung,” Jongin announces, eyes lighting up when he turns and sees someone he recognizes. Yixing looks over his shoulder and practically blanches at the sight of Zhixiang skipping through the hallway they’re in. “I’m going to see if she knows how to reverse whatever she did to you.”

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Seulgi assures, patting him gently on the arm to get his attention. She’s still smiling. “This happens more often than you think. If it’s not a frosted fox accidentally doing something, then it’s a dragon or a phoenix.”

“How did you even know I was here?” Yixing asks Zhixiang, who’s now bearing most of his weight. He looks far too happy to be here. “Zhixiang.”

“I heard from the vines,” Zhixiang simply answers, winking to Jongin. “Jongin told us right when you passed out. Your knee locked up or something and that’s what caused it, probably anyways.”

Seulgi gapes, pointing towards her own nose. “That’s what I thought too! It can be common for those always on their feet and in the heat too.”

Yixing frowns, looking to Jongin who looks sheepish. “Through the vines? Really?”

“How else was I supposed to make sure someone else could stay with you?” Jongin blurts out, cheeks taking on a pink hue again. It makes Zhixiang and Seulgi laugh next to them and, in turn, causes Jongin to shimmer pink in the bright lights. “Stop, you guys!” he whines, looking at all of them before staring at Yixing. “I’m going to go before I, um, do something else.” His smile is small and Yixing doesn’t understand him at all.

‘ _Did you forget I was here? How rude_ ,’ Cin mutters, both Jongin and Yixing looking down to the flower in Seulgi’s hand. ‘ _I told you. You attract the weird ones, not that I care_.’

Jongin laughs out his nerves before he suddenly transforms and is slithering away. He hisses something none of them can understand, but apparently the hyacinth can.

‘ _He called you Pretty Yixing of the Flowers and said something about hoping to see you again_ ,’ the flower grunts. ‘ _What a strange kid_.’

 

 _Sirens can be as deadly as an old seaman’s tale but they can also be as helpful as one could ever dare to hope. With enchanting vocals, they struggle to keep their powers in check. Only those willing to use their voices for good may roam the streets freely. Surprisingly, most of them work in the hospital in the Medic Hall, treating patients of all kinds with their voices and using concoctions with ingredients supplied by the many different creatures in the kingdom_.

 

The cot isn’t as comfortable as his bed of grass at home but Zhixiang dancing and flirting with the nurses and doctors who pass by his room is entertaining enough for him to forget all about it. He laughs and clutches his stomach, the flowers and hyacinth next to his bed chuckling at the other’s antics, and listens to Seulgi’s explanations of the human body and how nymphs, humans, sirens, elves, and even mermaids and mermen have the ability to help others who are sick and injured. She’s passionate about her job and Yixing is entranced enough to fall asleep for the rest of the night, with Zhixiang holding his hand because “you might have some nightmare, I don’t know. Just let me hold your hand. I haven’t seen you in forever.”

By the next day, Zhixiang is gone and Yixing considers his best friend useless. He feels completely fine but when he tries to stand, he crumples over the bed again, whining because he wants to go back to the Eastern City and The Clearing. He hears others walking around outside but he doesn’t notice a pair walking towards him, or two.

“See?” Zhixiang says, around a mouthful of what Yixing can assume is probably a turkey leg from the smell of it. “If I left his side and he woke up, he’d try to get up.”

With a glare prepared, Yixing looks over his shoulder but is shocked to see someone simultaneously pretty and handsome standing next to his best friend, with a rectangular smile and pretty wine red hair. “Ah, so this is the infamous Yixing,” the man says, eyes crinkling as he smiles wider. “I’ve heard about you. One of the prettiest nymphs in our kingdom, one of the fairest as well.”

“How do so many people know about me?” Yixing mumbles, clambering back onto the bed to prevent from simply collapsing onto the floor. He sighs when he makes himself as comfortable as he can, looking over to the bedside table to make sure Cin is fairing well in his little bowl of water.

“Quite frankly, how do people _not_ know about you?” the other says, walking up to him and grabbing his wrist, his middle finger easily finding his pulse point. Yixing watches him curiously as his other hand rests on the bed and his index finger taps out a silent beat. “The one born to two pure nymphs and developed to look like the flower of our kingdom,” he muses, releasing his wrist after fifteen taps to the cot. “It’s quite a reputation for those more involved in plants and health.”

A hand is placed on Yixing’s chest next, staying there briefly, before moving up to curl fingers underneath his chin and tilt his head every which way, scrutinizing his every detail. “I’ve heard you’re here because a frosted fox knocked into you and happened to freeze part of your blood vessel, or something to that extent.” He hums, shifting the bangs on his face, before nodding and taking a step back. “I’m going to need you to drink a concoction prepared by the phoenixes before I put you to sleep.”

Yixing jolts at the news, eyes widening as he stares at the man before looking to Zhixiang who looks completely unfazed. “You’re going to what now? Who are you?”

“I’m Zhixiang,” his best friend helpfully supplies, grinning as he takes another bite of his turkey leg. “But if you’re asking about him, he’s Baekhyun, one of the doctor medics of this place.”

“Siren Extraordinaire,” Baekhyun adds in after, smile bright on his face. “Sorry, I got a little carried away. I’m Physician Byun of the Medic Hall, PB, like peanut butter.”

Yixing frowns. “Peanut butter?”

Baekhyun literally lights up in front of him at the question. “Yes! Humans have developed this wonderful food called ‘peanut butter’ and even though it may get your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth, it’s also very delicious and can actually be very filling and–”

Yixing stops him with a hand on his arm, sighing softly when Baekhyun releases a little hum at his touch. “I know what peanut butter is,” he says, “But what are you going to do to me?”

“Oh, then I could’ve saved that whole speech for another patient,” Baekhyun muses, humming between his sentences, before he focuses his energy in tapping out beats on Yixing’s cot and thigh. “Anyways, one of our phoenixes is creating a concoction to help regulate your body temperature and blood vessels. If it was the other way around, one of the frosted foxes create this type of food that you’d eat instead. It’s all very strange, but it happens to work ninety-nine percent of the time, especially if I sing and induce you into a short coma after your body digests it so you heal faster.”

Honestly, all Yixing could understand was that last sentence. The rest is a blur he could barely keep up with, even if he continues to stare up at the siren with hazel brown eyes. “I thought,” he murmurs, trailing off, as Baekhyun continues to hum. “I thought phoenixes didn’t like being in large crowds.”

The grin on Baekhyun’s lips is sly, as he reaches out to mess with Yixing’s hair and simultaneously keep track of his pulse rate through his wrist with his other hand. “They don’t, but we import what’s needed from them. Sometimes, they like to come here and personally check things out, ensure we’re healing others as well as they heal themselves.”

Suddenly, a cough breaks the trance. Yixing snaps out of the daze he’s in and blinks, confused, at his best friend at the other side of his bed. He has his free hand balled into a fist and banging into his own chest, continuing to cough, with a bare turkey leg in his other hand. “Sorry,” Zhixiang gasps out, wincing as he hits his chest a couple more times. “Don’t mind me.”

Despite the interruption, Baekhyun laughs. He steps away from Yixing, fingers trailing down his hand, until he’s completely removed himself from his personal space. “I’ll retrieve the concoction and I’ll be back.” He leaves and Yixing is left speechless, until Zhixiang tosses the bone into the nearest bin and flops down on top of him.

“Zhixiang!”

“What a wonderful siren,” Zhixiang says wistfully, Yixing frowning when he can smell the remnants of the turkey on his breath. “Gorgeous and so knowledgeable. You’re lucky to be treated by him.”

“Can you not do this?” Yixing groans, shoving the other off of him. “Why aren’t you back at The Clearing? Who’s helping Liyin? What time is it?”

Zhixiang groans, rolling off of the bed and falling to the floor on his rear with a thud. “That’s too many questions, Yixing. Narrow it down.”

Frowning, Yixing eyes his friend. “Okay then,” he says slowly. “Why aren’t you back at work with Liyin at the unknown time it is now?”

“That’s not any better,” Zhixiang whines. “Somebody came by while you were gone, a traveling nymph, one we haven’t seen in a while, so he decided to help out while you did your adventure things for Hana.” He pouts. “Where is she, by the way? That hyacinth was the only flower with you when you got here.”

Yixing sighs tiredly, looking over to see Cin fast asleep. “I let her go with a hellhound I know will take care of her.” He makes sure to leave out Chanyeol’s name, for trauma purposes.

“Oh,” Zhixiang murmurs, mimicking his sigh before scooting back to lean against a wooden post. “Well, as long as she’s okay with it.”

“She is,” Yixing mumbles, lying back and relaxing. They fall into silence after that, Yixing staring up at the tall ceilings and he can count all the clouds painted up there before he starts on the stars next. He counts twenty before he hears footsteps again, looking down to see some nasty brown, almost black, drink in Baekhyun’s hand.

Baekhyun laughs when he grimaces. “It may look unappetizing, but I’ve heard it’s actually quite decent.”

“So you’ve never had to try it yourself,” Yixing deduces, eyes narrowing at the other.

“Nope,” Baekhyun pipes, smile bright, as he holds the drink out for him. “Now, bottoms up! We have to wait about two hours before I sing you to sleep.”

“Quite literally, in fact,” Zhixiang adds on, smiling just as bright. “I’m going to wait here until it happens. Where are the cotton balls?”

Yixing can’t help but glare at his best friend, but he also can’t help but stare at the drink when it’s finally in his hands. Through the glass, the liquid is warm and definitely unappealing. When he swirls it in the glass, he blanches when he sees bubbles start to emerge from the bottom. And they’re _red_. “What in the world am I going to drink?” Yixing almost shrieks, looking up to see Baekhyun and Zhixiang staring at him confused. “Are you sure this isn’t poison?”

With a shrug, Baekhyun gives a smile Yixing knows is typical of sirens when they’re not getting their way. Chills run up and down his spine but then Baekhyun lays a hand on his thigh and wow, his fingers are pretty. “I’m giving you the option to take it at your own pace,” he informs, leaving no room for doubt that says he could _make_ him drink it if he so wishes. “Take your time, but then the longer you wait, the longer it’ll take for you to get better.”

“But,” Yixing mutters, trailing off as he looks back down to the questionable drink. He grimaces when he swirls it again and more bubbles come up. “You’d sing to make me drink this?”

“If you want to get better and walk again without tripping over yourself.” Baekhyun is completely unapologetic. “I can do a lot of things with my mouth.”

Zhixiang whistles next to them, completely amused with the turn of events. “Okay, you would have to have gotten that hint. I would strongly take it.”

Baekhyun is completely cheeky and unapologetic and shameless, constantly smiling, and Yixing would rather drink this at his own pace. “Hey, attractive person right in front of me. I gotta offer what I can offer.”

Yixing breathes in deep, looking from the drink to his friend to Baekhyun. “Yeah, okay,” he breathes, choosing not to comment on that. “Just don’t crawl into my pants or something.”

“So, are kisses fine?” Yixing’s eyes widen at the question.

Baekhyun is completely serious.

“I suggest you take it,” Zhixiang pipes up.

Continuing to breathe in deep, Yixing lets Baekhyun monitor his pulse rate. His nerves are going crazy and Baekhyun is still simultaneously pretty and handsome. “Yeah, okay,” he breathes out again, “I don’t have time for this.” He downs the drink in one go, surprising both Zhixiang and Baekhyun.

Surprisingly, it doesn’t taste as bad as it looks. It does feel foreign sliding through his esophagus and to his stomach, but then it settles nice and warm, making him feel a little light and full at the same time. “Oh,” he sighs out, once he’s swallowed the last bits of it, minutes later. His vision turns fuzzy and red for a moment, before he collapses back against the bed. “That’s weird.”

The laughter Baekhyun releases echoes in his ears, almost like a pleasant, soothing wave ringing in his head. His appearance suddenly takes on a soft glow, almost ethereal, and do phoenixes always experience this when they’re reborn? That’s fast.

“Patients react to this concoction in different ways,” Baekhyun says, smile soft like those kittens that roam the streets. Even his touch is soft, like a furry blanket. Yixing leans into the hand gently cupping his face. “I see, for you, that it makes you feel something pleasant.”

“Mhm,” Yixing hums, closing his eyes. “You’re soft.” There’s more laughter but this time, it sounds wild, bizarre, and Yixing frowns. “You’re ugly.” There are a mixture of sounds after that and Yixing whines at the mess it creates in his head. “Sleep.”

“In due time,” Baekhyun murmurs, voice right next to his ear. “We’ll let you rest until I can finally lure you to sleep.”

Yixing can only manage a hum before Baekhyun disappears, choosing to stare up at the pretty stars and clouds of the ceiling instead.

In what feels like days later, a soothing voice enters his ears, calming his mind, and Yixing looks over, blinking blearily until Baekhyun comes into focus. His lips almost match the color of his hair and Yixing sighs softly, happily, when he feels those lips touch his forehead, allowing him to fall into a deep sleep.

 

When Yixing wakes up, he feels stiff, like his muscles haven’t been used in a while, but also refreshed, like all he needs to do is stretch and everything will be fixed. He’s still lying in the same cot he was given when he first arrived but the flowers have changed, except for Cin he can feel is silently judging him.

‘ _You’ve been out for a while, weird pole_.’

Yixing immediately groans at the comment, struggling to sit up before stretching his arms over his head. He can feel the kinks in his back untangle the longer he twists and turns and he sighs in relief when he relaxes again. His back feels ten times better than before. All he needs to do now is stretch his legs, but when he moves to get out of bed, a singing voice stops him in his tracks. His eyes widen in alarm. He doesn’t recognize this voice.

‘ _Don’t worry, weird pole_ ,’ Cin says, ‘ _It’s that girl who helped you out when you first arrived_.’

But Yixing doesn’t remember anybody or anything but a deep soothing, raw voice.

“Thank you, Seulgi.” Well, speak of the devil. His voice is so nice. “I’ll take it from here.”

The singing stops and Yixing looks to the side, watching as the man steps out from around the corner and pats the female on the shoulder in gratitude. He’s caught off-guard by what he sees. Wine red hair, sparkling eyes, and pink lips framing a bright smile. The devil is gorgeous.

“Hi,” the man greets, offering a small wave. “My name is Baekhyun. I brought you a Phoenix concoction and lured you to sleep to help your body heal faster after a frosted fox bumped into you on the streets.” He gestures to the female beside him who gives him a small smile. “This is Seulgi. She took care of you when a feathered serpent named Jongin brought you here. Your best friend Zhixiang was here too, but he’s probably off eating something somewhere.”

That brings laughter out of Yixing and chuckles out of Baekhyun, because that’s so typical of Zhixiang. He’s starting to remember it all.

“Amnesia is a side-effect of a siren singing to and around you,” Baekhyun explains, walking towards him until he can sit at the edge of the bed next to him. He knocks shoulders with him, playfully. “It happens quite often so I’ve gotten used to taking mental notes of all patients I see, who they come with, who they see, what they’re doing, and what they’ve done. It helps calm the patients down when they first wake up and it jogs their memories.”

Yixing hums at the information, staring into Baekhyun’s eyes, before looking down to his own hands where he’s gathered them in his lap and his legs are now hanging off the side of the cot with his feet planted firmly on the ground. “I read about that in school,” he says, blinking down at his feet when he stretches a leg out before doing the same with the other. “I can’t say I’ve been fortunate enough to experience this in the past.”

“There’s no record of you in this hospital,” Baekhyun confirms, giving him a small smile. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, though, despite the circumstances.”

Yixing chuckles at the pleasantry, looking back to the siren and knocking shoulders with him. “So, am I okay now? Did everything work?”

Baekhyun shakes his head at him, though his smile still remains. He stands, moving in front of him, before holding his hands out, as a gesture for Yixing to take them. “Well, let’s find out.”

Without much more, Yixing grabs a hold of Baekhyun’s hands. They feel rough under his touch and they’re strong. Baekhyun’s entire appearance is deceptive as he holds onto Yixing and helps support his weight without much difficulty. It surprises him.

“You’ve only been asleep for a few days,” Baekhyun murmurs, brows furrowing together in concentration as he stares down at their feet. He continues to walk backwards, guiding Yixing around the room. “Well, six days, but it’s enough to have an active person falter when moving around again after being off their feet for so long.”

Yixing hums as he clutches onto Baekhyun tighter, following his movements as best as he can. He really doesn’t want to collapse again, but he doesn’t feel any foreign sensation in his body anymore. He grimaces when he takes another step. “That drink still looks nasty,” he murmurs, causing Baekhyun to laugh. “It apparently helped, but it still looked nasty.”

“Well, it’s either that or eating a bunch of herbs and plants,” Baekhyun offers. “But I know nymphs don’t like eating those.”

“No!” Yixing gasps, stopping and looking to Baekhyun with wide eyes. “That’s cannibalism!”

Baekhyun shrugs, completely indifferent. “To each their own.”

“Baekhyun!”

“At least I knew about your diets. I make sure to know as much about each creature and their culture as possible.” Baekhyun sighs, leading them back to Yixing’s cot and helping him back into it. “It’s fun to learn about all of it and put it into practice. You should be good to go, but I’ll go have Seulgi bring you back a meal. You haven’t eaten in six days or more.”

There’s something about the way Baekhyun looks, his tired expression, that makes Yixing want to know more. He holds onto him when he turns to leave, watching as confusion swirls in his hazel eyes. “How long did you sing for me?”

“Five and a half days.”

Yixing gapes, jaw dropped open in shock. “You sang for me that long?”

When Baekhyun smiles, it’s genuine, caring, fond. “One of the fairest of the kingdom deserves the best treatment.” He turns to face him again, leaning in, until he kisses the corner of his lips. “Don’t you think?”

There’s a fluttery feeling in Yixing’s stomach. He can barely breathe, but he doesn’t hesitate to tilt his head the slightest bit, to leave a soft kiss against Baekhyun’s lips. He can feel Baekhyun smile before he’s pulling away and Yixing blinks up at him confused.

“Sirens don’t have the capacity to control others by simply speaking, only by singing,” Baekhyun informs, leaning over to place a kiss on his forehead. “But we wish we can control matters of the heart. Thank you, Yixing.”

“We’ve met before,” Yixing calls out, when Baekhyun’s about to leave the room. He can picture a smaller Baekhyun around the same age as him, full of energy and bright laughter, with hair a vibrant red unlike the darker wine color it is now. He kissed him then too. “Amnesia? What happened back then?”

Surprise is written all over Baekhyun’s face before he breaks into laughter, shaking his head at him in disbelief. “You broke your leg when you were climbing one of the old oak trees that’s now been converted into the posts and tables in this room. Your parents told me that the oak tree warned you but you did it anyways. I visited you because you were sad when you couldn’t move and, well,” he shrugs, “I helped my mom sing you to sleep to allow you to heal faster. You didn’t remember much when you woke up, so I just let it go.”

“That was years ago.”

“It’s hard for a siren to fall in love,” Baekhyun explains and this time, his smile is sad. “I’m always here if you need some healing and tender loving care.”

Yixing’s heart aches. “Baekhyun,” he calls again, watching as Baekhyun leans over to see him from around the corner. “Thank you.”

 

 _Faeries are creatures that are full of energy. As the ones who have direct lineage to the royal family, some like to be raucous and cause damage to parts of the kingdom, but others are hardworking and loyal. It’s said that simply controlling the faery prince himself is hard work enough. They’re also as sparkly as the stories say, literally dusting the ground with glitter wherever they go. According to the faery prince himself, it really is hard to remove it from all the clothes if they’re not sparkle-proof_.

 

It’s in the middle of the night when Yixing is released. He heads straight for his house to drop off the hyacinth and feed his garden where most of the plants are asleep for the night. The only ones awake are the flowers that thrive during the night, but Yixing doesn’t pay much attention to them when he realizes half of his garden had been taken care of during his stay in the hospital.

‘ _The past guardian took care of us_ ,’ one of the trees says. ‘ _Lu Han has stopped by too, but the past guardian would come when he wasn’t here to water us_.’

“What?” Yixing looks around, can see that the tree is telling the truth, before he searches to see if the past guardian was miraculously around. He shouldn’t be at this time of night, but he couldn’t be too sure. “The tall man with blonde hair?”

‘ _I am not sure_ ,’ a kadapul flower answers. ‘ _He did have very large hands though. They were warm_.’

So far, all his friends seem happy and his lips still tingle. In fact, he feels restless after being asleep for so long. “I’m going to go for a walk, okay?” he informs the plants that are still awake. “I’ll be back later.” He hears a chorus of ‘ _okay_ ’s before he’s off again after changing clothes and shoes.

The kingdom is quiet at this time, the only citizens out are the nymphs who thrive better in the moonlight, some of the elves, hellhounds, and mermen and mermaids. It doesn’t usually have the loud chatter and clatter that come with humans, warlocks, faeries, and other creatures. It’s relaxing and it soothes Yixing’s mind, especially after spending some time after being discharged searching for Baekhyun only to find out he was with another patient.

Yixing sighs, looks up at the faery lights that line the pathways of the kingdom. The lights are pretty as they dance in the sky, seeming to have their own song to listen and move along to, and Yixing tries to follow them. He skips and twirls and reaches out. It’s enough to have his lungs burning for air and legs aching from the sudden exertion, but he keeps going anyways, smiling and giggling to himself, until he bumps into someone, much taller than himself. He squeaks when he’s grabbed and a hand closes over his mouth before he’s dragged into an alleyway and behind a tree.

The hands on him are cool to the touch, the chest he’s being held against strong and broad, and he can catch glimpses of faery wings before they’re plastering themselves to the wall behind them to minimize any sparkles that’ll come from the lights. But then the lights start to gather outside the alleyway and Yixing gasps, muffled, as he’s shuffled further inside the dark. Apparently, whoever this is doesn’t want to be caught, so he tugs the hand from his mouth, at least spread the faery’s fingers, so he can speak to the tree at the entrance.

“Help us?” Yixing whispers, watching as the tree wakes up for a few moments to shift its branches and leaves. The lights continue to gather before they start to disperse, the faery behind him breathing out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” he breathes, releasing his hold on him. “It’s a blessing you’re able to talk to plants to–”

Yixing hums at the interruption, finally looking over to see why the faery stopped himself, and then he gapes when he takes in who might’ve apparently kidnapped him into an alleyway to avoid being seen. He points, “You’re–” before he takes his finger back because that’s impolite. “Ah.”

Then the faery is bowing on one knee with his head down and Yixing almost shrieks. “I apologize, Yixing,” he says, “I did not realize it was you I took hostage.”

“What are you doing?!” Yixing hisses instead, torn between wanting to drag the prince to a standing position or just run away and pretend this never happened. “Prince! Prince Sehun. Please, stand!”

“I am afraid I cannot look you in the eye,” Sehun murmurs, though he tilts his head up to cast him a glance before he’s looking away again.

Yixing stares at him, completely confused. “Why not? Do you normally take others hostage?”

“No!” Sehun exclaims, trying to remain quiet. “I tend to sneak out every few nights to avoid typical royalty duties. It’s actually quite common in human texts.” He sighs, wings fluttering behind him. “Taeyeon gets mad.”

“You’re the _prince_ ,” Yixing reiterates, noting how this man with rainbow-colored hair doesn’t even have his crown on. He assumes he’s wearing his simplest robes in monochrome color but with his height, beauty, and overall radiance as the _faery prince_ , it’s hard to ignore him. “Why won’t you stand?” he questions quietly, taking his place and kneeling in front of him, trying to duck his head to make eye contact with the other, before he simply bows his head. “I should be kneeling to you, prince.”

“No, nobody should be kneeling to me. Please stand, Yixing.”

Yixing doesn’t move, even when his knees start to ache and there’s a rustling in front of him. He only looks up when there’s a hand on his shoulder, watches in disbelief as Sehun’s eyes widens before he shrinks into his true faery size before reappearing as his preferred normal stature. “Sehun?” he asks, tentatively.

There’s a pink hue to Sehun’s cheeks as he makes it a point to avoid his gaze. “Well, since I’ve already gotten you in trouble, do you want to go get some snacks with me?”

Yixing scoffs. “What makes you think I haven’t gotten _you_ in trouble?”

“Please,” Sehun mutters, barely meeting his gaze for a few seconds. He holds a hand out, waits for Yixing to take it, before hoisting him up. “I’m the prince. I got _you_ in trouble.”

 

When Yixing went out for a walk in the middle of the night, he expected to relax and take his time exploring the streets. It’s usually what he does when he has days off at a time. Granted, he doesn’t usually dance in the streets but he doesn’t usually bump into faery princes of the royalty of the actual kingdom either. Or hide behind some meat stall because it apparently ‘covers their scents’ from Taeyeon and her hellhound best friend, according to Sehun.

“I would expect they would know to search behind here if you’re always choosing this as your hiding spot,” Yixing murmurs quietly. He can hear rapid footsteps and Sehun’s ragged breathing, but most of his focus is on the various meats in front of him. Some are cooked from last night, left out with covers and hoping some wayward citizen will take and eat it, while others are raw and buried in ice to prevent them from spoiling and those are the ones Yixing wants to eat. His mouth waters at the sight of it. “If I leave money here, do you think the owners would mind if I took a slice or two?”

“Have you not eaten in a while?”

“I ate a few hours ago,” Yixing answers, still crouching and waddling over to see what else is in the ice. He scrunches his nose when he hears Sehun moving around. The meat really is better raw and a tad bit warm, not chilled. “But I haven’t had raw meat in a while. It’s more of a delicacy now.”

The sound of something clinking and rolling around on the table catches Yixing’s attention. He looks over, surprised, to see Sehun standing in his spot and depositing what looks like money in one of the drawers of the cart.

“What are you doing?”

Sehun shrugs. “What does it look like? It’s enough for all the meat in one section of the cart.” He stares at the meat then, thinking. “Is there any way for you to transport all that home? You’re not going to eat all that at once, are you?”

“Uh, well.” Yixing didn’t expect that either. “I don’t,” he says slowly, standing up. “I just wanted one or two slices, not the whole section.”

“I didn’t bring enough for the whole cart. I could send you the rest though once I get back from our adventure.”

“From our adventure?”

Sehun pinks. He’s pretty. “Well, it’s you and me hiding behind a meat vendor from my babysitter and her best friend. It’s safe to assume it’s our adventure at this point.” He runs a hand through his hair and Yixing watches as it flutters back into place, his wings shimmering with every move he makes. Actually, it almost looks like sparkles are coming off of him and falling to the ground.

“Wait, do you have literal sparkles coming off of you?” Yixing gapes. “You shimmer all the time?”

“Yeah?” Sehun frowns. “Have you not noticed? All faeries practically shit out sparkles and glitter and everything that won’t come out of most clothes and skin easily.”

Yixing rolls his eyes, cocks his hip out. “I noticed the skies seem to sparkle when all of you fly through it but I didn’t expect glitter to literally fall off your person whenever you moved.”

“Yeah, well, now you know.”

“Sehun!”

Sehun’s eyes widen at the call, quickly looking to Yixing, before grabbing his hand and dragging him away from the cart. “I’ll have Jaein pick up your meat and delivered to you,” he rushes. “We have to go.” A ball of light, sparkly energy whizzes past them and strikes the ground in front of them. “Okay!” Sehun squeaks, shrinking in size accidentally, before resuming his second size. “Let’s go, Yixing!”

“Sehun! Get back here, you little–!”

 

“I normally make it a point to ignore others’ staring at me, but I can tell you’re staring at me and I would like for you to stop.”

Yixing doesn’t. He continues to stare. Sehun’s side profile is actually really nice. Up close, Yixing can admire his pale skin. It shimmers in the moonlight and when he smiles, his eyes form crescents that exude a distinct type of innocence he’s somehow maintained over the years. He guesses it’s also because Sehun is the youngest of the royal family but even without his crown, he still has the aura of a regal within him.

“Yixing,” Sehun calls, cheeks pinking. “Stop staring at me.”

“I’m sitting with the youngest prince on the rooftop of some vegetable building that contains fruits,” Yixing deadpans, still staring at him. “I’m going to stare at you as long as I want.”

“It doesn’t get any more romantic than this, right?”

“So, why do you always shrink and then grow back? Is that a voluntary thing or involuntary?”

Yixing gapes as Sehun flinches hard and practically flings himself off of the roof. His wings extend to their full width and he’s beautiful.

“I understand others can be as sarcastic as me, but when you question my abilities, I have to admit it throws me off-guard,” Sehun mutters, glaring at him, even though he flies back to sit next to him. “For the record, I can control my faery growth abilities voluntarily.”

“It doesn’t seem like it,” Yixing murmurs, eyeing the shimmery wings. “How many times have you shrunk in front of me? Three times now?”

Sehun waves a hand in the air, still a little pink in the face as he calms down. “I’d say zero.”

Yixing laughs. “I’d say the prince shouldn’t lie.”

“I’m not lying!”

“Uh huh,” Yixing teases, laughing as Sehun shoves him, though it’s not enough to fall off the roof like him. “So, is it involuntary then?”

“Only with you, Yixing,” a new voice says. They jolt at the new presence and turn to see Taeyeon hovering in the air behind them, arms crossed in front of her chest and glaring at them with everything she’s got. “Prince Sehun seems unable to control his powers when he’s around you.”

“Taeyeon!”

“It’s time you should return,” Taeyeon hisses out, fixing him with a stare that leaves no room for arguments. “Perhaps if you asked Yixing out on a date the proper way, then I wouldn’t have to chase you down and almost destroy a building and two vendors in the process.”

“To be fair, you didn’t have to shoot anything at me.”

“I didn’t have to be _out here_ in the middle of the night either!”

Yixing winces at the sheer volume Taeyeon yells in, but he can sympathize, especially when Zhixiang disappears for long periods at a time without telling anyone where he’s going. But taking one look at Sehun, he doesn’t care the least bit he almost sent his own bodyguard to the hospital out of sheer frustration and elevated blood pressure levels. It’s also a testament to how Sehun still avoids his gaze that what she said is most likely true. That’s cute.

“You don’t have to constantly watch me anymore, Taeyeon,” Sehun says, sighing softly, when she tosses his crown at him. He catches it with ease. “The new guardians are doing their jobs wonderfully. I’ve also been proven capable of taking care of myself. I believe I’m allowed some free time from the castle grounds.”

“Aren’t you technically still within castle grounds if you’re in the kingdom?” Yixing asks, quietly. He bites his lip when Sehun gives him a look. “Sorry.”

“I also don’t want to bring Yixing into unnecessary royal affairs.”

With a sigh, Taeyeon steps onto the roof behind them, moves graceful and light as her wings flutter behind her. “Simply inform us where you’re going so we know to keep an eye out for you in case things go wrong.” Yixing smiles when she nods to him. “Hello, Yixing. I’m sorry you got caught up in this mess.”

“I can see it happens quite often,” Yixing says with a laugh, hand coming up to cover his mouth. “You’re doing a wonderful job, Taeyeon.”

“You’re not supposed to take her side,” Sehun whines, though Taeyeon looks infinitely proud at his praise.

“He would make a fine suitor for you, prince.”

“Taeyeon!”

Taeyeon simply shrugs before winking at him. “The sun is about to rise,” she informs, looking up to the brightening horizon. “I believe it’s time for you to return, prince, before the citizens leave for their businesses.”

The prince looks conflicted between wanting to stay and needing to leave. There’s a small furrow in his eyebrows and Yixing smiles, reaches out to gently touch his hand. Sehun looks to him immediately, confliction turned into confusion, and they hear Taeyeon laugh softly at their actions. “May I?” Yixing asks, pointedly looking up to Sehun’s forehead. His crown is in his other hand.

Sehun frowns, shaking his head. “I don’t–”

“Not your crown,” Yixing interrupts, smiling brighter at him. A few minutes pass before Sehun nods and then Yixing is reaching out, gently running fingers across his forehead and then down until the tip of his nose. His skin is soft underneath his touch. It makes Sehun giggle.

“What are you doing?”

Yixing hums, smiles, as he continues to trail his fingers across his cheeks and chin. “Taking your worries away,” he says simply.

“That is precious,” Taeyeon declares, wistful, before she’s walking over and patting each of them on the head. “Finish up, and I expect to see you within the palace within an hour of the sun rising, crown in place.”

Closing his eyes, Sehun tilts his head the slightest bit. “Taeyeon?” he calls, Yixing watching him curiously. Like this, the prince looks older, wiser.

“Yes, my prince?”

“I’m warning you ahead of time. I will be running away again about four days from now, possibly an hour after the moon has hit its peak in the sky.”

“Sehun!”

Yixing hasn’t laughed that hard in a long time.

 

 _As all nymphs are, it’s only natural to be friendly, touchy, and inviting. It’s not surprising to find one pressing up close with enchanting laughter and beautiful smiles, creating their own little trance to others who cross their path. Most nymphs never realize their potential to attract but some do and, sometimes, it can get a little overwhelming when two nymphs come together with opposing personalities_.

 

The Clearing appears the same as it does every time Yixing returns from his mini-vacations. Citizens continue to flow in and out, he sees Lu Han passing by with a curious but relieved stare, and he sees Zhixiang dancing around the tables with Liyin behind the main bar. Everything is the same, even the trees and flowers and plants greeting him when he enters, but what’s different is a nymph singing as he walks throughout the restaurant with Zhixiang before going back to talk to Liyin.

Within a few minutes, the nymph is singing again and the crowds are pushing trying to visit their establishment. Yixing goes along with the wave, knowing he’s heard that voice somewhere before, until he’s pushed up right against the new waiter. He gapes once the singing stops. “Jongdae?”

“Yixing?”

“Zhixiang!”

Yixing glares at his best friend across the room. All the other does is shrug and give him a cheeky smile before he returns to his own business. “You’re finally back, Yixing,” Jongdae says, arms easily wrapping around his neck and drawing him in for a tight hug. “I heard what happened and that Zhixiang wasn’t very helpful at all.”

“I was helpful!” Zhixiang shouts, indignant. “It just so happens their food was delicious as well!”

“If you had enough time to eat that much, you weren’t very helpful,” Liyin easily states. “Zhi, come deliver these.”

Yixing watches the scene unfold before him with wide eyes, cheeks flushing pink when Jongdae leaves a soft kiss on his neck before pulling away. As a mixture of nymph and siren, Yixing has learned the hard way that Jongdae is a complicated mess waiting to happen. “I didn’t know you were coming back into town,” he says, gaze focusing into Jongdae’s lilac eyes. “I would’ve been here if I’d known.”

“Well, it sounded like it was out of your control,” Jongdae says dismissively. “It’s just nice to see you again.”

“And how long are you staying this time?”

Something flashes through Jongdae’s eyes but Yixing can’t tell what. “Long enough” is all Jongdae says before he’s smiling and singing softly, like it’s second nature to him, which if Yixing had to guess, it probably is. “This time, I’ll tell you.”

To Yixing, his words sound sincere, but he knows by now not to trust him when he sings. He sighs, out of defeat, because Jongdae is just as alluring as he was a few months ago, if not more so. “As long as you don’t trick me into anything, yeah?” He blushes when Jongdae immediately leans in and kisses him on the lips.

“Yeah, I can do that.”

Jongdae’s kiss feels different from Baekhyun’s. Yixing’s not really one to compare, but he can’t help it when Jongdae does it out of nature, like it’s something he does with practically everyone, and Baekhyun does it out of genuine love and care. Then again, he’s probably comparing it the slightest bit because of his history with each one.

“It’s a wonder how Jongdae hasn’t married himself into the royal line,” Liyin muses hours later, when it’s just her and Yixing at the bar. Zhixiang and Jongdae are keeping themselves busy at the opposite end of The Clearing, talking to the grasses and bushes and whoever comes up to them. “With his capabilities, he could worm his way into one of their pants or hearts.”

Yixing hums, distracted, as he sits on a stool and leans against the bar with his chin propped on his hand, elbow on the wood. “They can’t control matters of the heart,” he repeats, thinking of Baekhyun, before his thoughts return to Jongdae literally twirling in front of them. “Especially in the long run. But I’m surprised too. It’d be easy for him to get somewhere like that.”

“Then I guess it’s safe to say we’re glad Jongdae is Jongdae, hm?”

Yixing chuckles, nodding awkwardly. “Because Jongdae is Jongdae, he’s a little bit safe.”

“So,” Liyin opens up, pulling his attention away from the other duo. “Nobody ever told us what happened between you two.”

“Ah, it wasn’t much.” Yixing discloses. He breathes in deep, casts another glance over his shoulder. “We had some fun, but that was it. He left without another word to go travel somewhere. I was hoping he had found somebody to settle down with.”

Liyin looks amused. “I’m thinking he came back for you, or parts of you.”

“Must we go there?” Yixing asks, exasperated. He frowns when all she does is laugh. “He’s a dangerous combination.” He jumps when arms suddenly wrap around his waist from behind, a soft kiss placed on his neck, before a chin hooks over his shoulder.

“Are you talking about me? Isn’t that rude?”

“A dangerous combination, I tell you,” Yixing gasps, before he tries to glare at the other over his shoulder. “Jongdae, what are you doing?”

“I’d like to do you, quite honestly.” The words fall out of his mouth so easily. Yixing gapes. Liyin bursts into laughter. Jongdae is as content as a cat. “But that’d be inappropriate here.”

“It’s inappropriate anywhere!” Yixing shrieks. He turns in Jongdae’s hold, not surprised that he steals another kiss from him on the lips before pulling away. “Jongdae!”

“Aren’t you two cute,” Zhixiang deadpans, walking over and literally tugging Jongdae away. “You’re here as an extra hand. Give it.”

Jongdae laughs, sound as musical and beautiful as the birds’ songs. “I could give _you_ an extra hand. How about it?”

There’s more laughter and Yixing releases a deeper sigh than he thought he could manage. He doesn’t even know how he gets himself in these situations. He already feels tired just being in Jongdae’s presence.

Thankfully for him, Jongdae only steals about seven more kisses before the day is over. It’s enough to lift Yixing’s spirits by the end of the day and he starts to welcome it, pulling Jongdae in for a hug because he’s always been enchanting and precious with a smile as bright as the sun. They’ve been through a lot together, ever since Jongdae was a babe and the target of the other nymphs out of jealousy. But now that he’s older and fully accepted himself, he’s a force to be reckoned with and Yixing’s experienced it first hand. In bed. With Jongdae’s moans becoming a beautiful song that probably made his neighbors have some of the most pleasant, or maybe disturbing, dreams in a long time.

Yixing groans when Jongdae pulls him in for another kiss, pushing him away when Yixing starts to lick at Jongdae’s bottom lip. “Nope,” he chirps, quickly turning on his heels and walking away. “Nope!” he calls back. “I’ll see you tomorrow!” He can hear Jongdae’s laughter along with Liyin’s and Zhixiang’s.

 

If Yixing is being completely honest with himself, he would say he’s hiding behind the main bar of The Clearing and silently begging all of nature and Liyin to keep his presence a secret. Zhixiang has the day off, so there’s already one factor in his favor, but Jongdae is coming in because he really is their second hand until he leaves again, whenever that is. Well, if Yixing is being completely honest with himself. For the time being, he’s currently lying and telling himself the ants look pretty and are working their hardest to bring home food for the family. Well, they do look pretty and are working hard but he’s lying to himself because he’s not in The Clearing. He’s not going to be tempted by one of nature’s strongest, friendliest, kindest–

“How long are you going to hide there, Yixing? The birds have been telling me you’ve been back there since you arrived.”

The _birds_.

“I forgot you can talk to the birds,” Yixing groans, uncurling himself from the ground and stretching out his back. He winces at the pops.

“I can talk to trees too,” Jongdae adds in with a smile, leaning over the bar to give him a kiss on the cheek. “How could you forget?”

“Honestly, he can be pretty forgetful.” Liyin shrugs when they look at her. “Hey, I’m saying honestly.”

“Anyways,” Jongdae says, diverting their attention. His eyebrows are raised, curiosity flowing off of him in waves. “Are you avoiding me?”

Yixing flinches at the question. “Not necessarily.”

“Don’t lie. You know I can tell when you’re lying.”

“Well,” Yixing sighs, looking at Jongdae’s mole on his neck instead of his eyes. “You give so many kisses, Jongdae. I’m just not used to it.”

“And?”

“Your lips are really soft. And I honestly don’t know what to think about you being back.”

Jongdae’s grin is wide and Yixing believes he is insatiable. “Then from now on, I’ll warn you,” he says, “And well, I came back hoping to settle down somehow.”

That peaks Yixing’s interest, eyes widening in shock. “Really?” Jongdae nods and his gaze is warm. It’s not playful or teasing. It’s not curious or in defeat. It’s genuine and warm and caring, something Jongdae is but doesn’t usually show. Yixing shakes his head in admiration, fondness, before he reaches out and cards fingers through his hair. “Have you found somebody yet?”

“Kiss,” Jongdae suddenly announces, before he’s leaning in and giving him another kiss on the lips. “I have someone in mind,” he informs when he pulls away. He doesn’t say anything else, simply grabs a tray and starts singing throughout The Clearing. He dances and twirls between the tables, charming anyone within earshot, and Yixing can’t help but feel warm and fond of him deep within his chest.

 

‘ _You are an imbecile, weird pole_.’

“The one time I take you out to bring you to The Clearing, and you’re already calling me names.” Yixing frowns as he cleans the bar, Liyin helping out Jongdae on the floor instead, so he can stay next to the hyacinth in his little bowl. “Can you not?”

‘ _I’m assuming from all the gossip around here that nymph-siren mix is the one calling the shots. Pretty voice_.’

“Kiss.” Yixing looks up at the voice, unaffected now by how Jongdae simply leans in and gives him a peck on the lips. “Thank you!”

If it was possible, Yixing is sure Cin would be whistling. ‘ _Yes, he is calling all the shots_.’

“He is not,” Yixing whispers, even as a smile forms on his face when Jongdae waves at him from across the establishment. His heart flips and he’s sure his cheeks are flushing pink at the attention. “He does this with others.”

‘ _I don’t know what your definition of ‘others’ is, but it clearly isn’t the same as my definition of ‘others,’ weird pole_.’

Yixing groans, exasperated. “Why am I even a ‘weird pole’ in the first place?”

“Considering his pole isn’t weird, if you catch what I’m tossing,” Jongdae calls back, weaving between the tables next to them. His smile is bright and playful and yeah, Yixing is blushing. “Is the flower talking to you?”

“Yeah,” Yixing murmurs, rolling his eyes when Jongdae winks at him instead. “Go away.”

“Kiss!”

“Insatiable.”

 

When Zhixiang returns, Jongdae doesn’t show up. None of them pay his absence any mind, figuring he wants the day off, but then the plants start whispering and it becomes hard to ignore by the second day. They hear words of ‘ _hospital_ ’ and Yixing panics. He goes with Liyin to the hospital to see Seulgi singing softly and humming to Jongdae on a cot, who seems to be dozing in and out of sleep.

“What?” Yixing breathes, terribly confused, because Jongdae was fine the other day. “What did you do?”

Jongdae’s voice is raspy when he speaks. It makes Yixing want to cry. “I probably caught something from one of the patrons,” he says. “It’s been getting cold recently too, especially at night. I’m too used to warmer weather when I’m traveling, so.”

“He’ll be fine within a few days,” Seulgi reassures with a smile. “Baekhyun will be here and help speed up the process.”

“Oh,” Yixing whispers, walking over to gently cup his cheek. He smiles when Jongdae beams a grin up at him. “He’s good. You’ll be good in no time.”

“Kiss?” Jongdae doesn’t look bothered in the slightest bit that he’s in the hospital right now, waiting to be treated.

Yixing laughs. “I’m not kissing you when you’re sick.”

Jongdae laughs with him, albeit weaker than normal. “Okay then,” he relents, grabbing his hand and pressing a kiss to his palm. “There’s the kiss. Wash your hands after.”

Incredulity is what Yixing associates with Jongdae, laughing as he leans down to kiss him on the cheek close to his lips. He doesn’t end up sick, but he stays long enough hidden behind the corner to see Baekhyun singing softly to himself before entering Jongdae’s room.

 

 _Warlocks are as strange as humans themselves, but if one thing makes them stand out, it’s their control over the mystical quality of magic. They are able to produce objects out of thin air, transport themselves to other places without much difficulty, and cause battles of great magnitude if given the chance and wrong intention. Warlocks can be as fascinating as the magic they release and it’s honestly riveting to see pure magic flowing off of their bodies in uncontrolled waves_.

 

There’s a trail of flower drawings on the ground, leading from The Clearing to the direction of the castle, and Yixing wouldn’t pay it any mind, but his name is engraved into the petals of the flowers and he’s intrigued. He bumps into someone tall with blonde hair–is that a tail?–and apologizes before continuing on his way. He swears he can hear the hisses of a serpent around him but Jongin doesn’t appear when he calls for his name. He even bumps into Lu Han who stares at him strangely before darting ahead, presumably to check out what these markings are about. He doesn’t return though so Yixing can only guess it’s okay to follow the weird trail.

Midway to the castle, the drawings veer left to the south, to a set of upper-class buildings set in stone. He can see Lu Han in the distance staring at him but then someone bumps into him and Yixing looks away to see dark, wide eyes staring down at him instead. The man appears human with one too many piercings but Yixing can feel the magic radiating off of him. Their mouths open at the same time.

“I’m sorry,” the man breathes out, taking a step back and bowing. “I didn’t think you’d follow them.”

Yixing’s eyebrows furrow in his confusion before he looks to the ground where the drawings are now starting to disappear. “The flowers?” he clarifies, looking back up to see the man nod. “You drew them?”

The man nods again, looking up to him. “My name is Zitao. I’ve heard a lot about you and have talked to you sometimes in The Clearing, but I just really wanted to, um, talk to you.” He shrugs, ruffles the back of his hair.

This is amusing. “Well, you’re talking to me now, Zitao,” Yixing says, smiling up at him and holding a hand out to shake. “I’m Yixing.”

“Yeah,” Zitao agrees. The corners of his lips tilt up into a smile when he shakes his hand. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Yixing laughs, surprised to see a flower suddenly sprout from Zitao’s jacket. “Is that a synthetic flower?”

“Oh, uh.” Zitao fumbles with the item, pulling it out and ending up tugging a square cloth with it. “I’m, sort of, a warlock-in-training,” he mumbles, trying to fix his entire outfit. “Well, I’m no longer in training but I’m better at certain spells than others.”

Yixing stifles his laugh, smiling brightly instead, when Zitao looks up at him. “Is that so?” He’s surprised to see the warlock pout at him, such a stark contrast to his appearance. “I’m sorry. This entire meeting has caught me off-guard.”

Zitao makes a noise of agreement, nodding. “Same here,” he admits. “I didn’t really plan anything after this. I really thought you weren’t going to follow them.”

“Well, one of the flowers had my name in it,” Yixing mentions, looking to the sky thoughtfully. “And then the rest were just pretty and I was curious.” He smiles when he hears a sigh escape Zitao’s mouth. He seems reserved, maybe even a little withdrawn. Most wizards he’s met are a handful, asserting their dominance because of their rule over magic, and they’ve never been pleasant to be around. This one though, fumbling with the synthetic flower in his hand, and looking around at the fading marks on the ground, this one seems pleasant so far.

“Zitao? What are you doing? Oh.”

Yixing looks over to see a woman with long hair looking sheepish. One side of her hair is pushed behind one ear to showcase a metal earring that wraps the entire cartilage, with a gem that shines a brilliant red at the base of it. “Hello,” he calls out, offering a small wave, which the woman returns with a smile.

“Hello, Yixing,” she says, before turning the other way. “I’ll leave you two be.”

“Sorry,” Zitao murmurs once she’s out of sight. “That’s Qian. She’s my mentor.”

Yixing continues to watch her until she suddenly disappears from sight. His eyes widen in shock, looking all around them to see where she went. “Where did she–” He knows warlocks have the ability to perform magic of all kind, ranging from white to black depending on the situation, but he’s never seen one blatantly use their power like that before.

Zitao giggles, holding a hand out in front of Yixing’s face and slowly bringing it back so Yixing can stare at him instead. “She probably went home. Her home is at the end of this street.” He nods in the general direction behind Yixing. “She probably wanted to avoid more awkward confrontation.”

“Awkward confrontation?” Yixing looks behind him in the direction gestured before looking back up to Zitao, with dark eyes that are now swirling with the magic within him. Sparks of blue and purple fade in and out like lightning. “Wow.”

Zitao tilts his head in confusion. “What?”

“Your eyes,” Yixing says, as if that explains everything. He even points to his own two eyes before pointing towards Zitao’s. “I see blue and purple in them.”

“Ah.” Zitao chuckles, reaching up to cover them with a hand. “That happens every now and again,” he says, smiling. “Qian says I really need to be careful with my magic levels.”

Yixing laughs, taking the chance to admire black hair, his piercings, and wonderfully warm-looking skin. “I’m sure you have great control over your magic.” Even though he honestly doesn’t know if he does or doesn’t.

“Sometimes, I don’t,” Zitao admits, taking in a deep breath, before removing his hand and smiling at him sheepishly. Well, that answers Yixing’s question. Something in the air shifts around them. Zitao looks a lot calmer. “Do you want to go get some fruit nectar or something? I know a really good place. Maybe you haven’t been there yet.”

With a kingdom as large as theirs, it’s safe to assume he hasn’t been everywhere yet, despite how long he’s lived. He looks around him at the warlocks’ living quarters and the cobblestone streets and stone houses before nodding. He doesn’t have much to do today since he took off early when Zhixiang arrived. “Why not?”

 

Normally, warlocks tend to keep to themselves. Ever since DEW happened, the Elders and Royalty declared that warlocks and elves were to remain separated unless in the presence of a guardian, a faery, or someone else the Elders and Royalty explicitly trust. Then again, Yixing thinks the Disagreement of Elves and Warlocks deserves a better title, but who was he to change something that the citizens of the kingdom agreed upon. It’s better than BBEW–Battle Between Elves and Warlocks–anyways.

But Zitao talks and expresses himself as if he doesn’t keep to himself as often as the others. He’s animated when he tells stories of accidentally dyeing Qian pink with a spell gone wrong and of changing the previous female guardian into a cat for a day that caused an uproar within the entire kingdom. “Sooyeon was mad, but I’m pretty sure she liked being a pretty silver cat for a day,” he mentions. Yixing laughs, incredulous, because he actually remembers that day. There weren’t very many patrons in The Clearing and the flowers gossiped nonstop about Jongdae visiting.

In fact, it sounds like Zitao has been all over the kingdom. He’s been in Cherish, The Sea Glass, and The Clearing. He’s been to the mountains where the phoenixes and dragons live, the ocean and rivers where the mermaids and mermen swim through, and he’s been to the castle grounds where he’s befriended an elf named Chansik. He seems to know the ins and outs of every street and pathway, it surprises Yixing when they crawl through a set of trees and bushes only to find themselves somewhere in the Northern City.

Yixing doesn’t visit the Northern City often because of how chilly it gets with the mountains, but it’s a pleasant day with a nice breeze and the warm sun beaming down on them. Deer, squirrels, ferrets, and cats roam freer here than in the city and there are even some frosted foxes and feathered snakes playing around with them. Actually, it looks like The Outskirts, except it’s not.

“What is this?” Yixing asks, once he’s led to a healthy patch of grass near where a cat is resting. The cat lifts its head to look at him curiously before resting again.

A drink is suddenly held before him and Yixing looks up to see a different type of faerie hovering before him, wings a brilliant blue and wearing thick robes. “Our special nectar,” she informs with a smile and a nod. “It’s a fan favorite.”

Yixing grabs the glass, giving her a polite nod. “Thank you.” She gives one to Zitao and he gives her a bright smile in return.

“Thank you, Jia.”

“As always,” she responds with a bow, before she’s flying away to tend to other visitors. She greets everybody she sees and it’s then that Yixing notices what he suspects is the rest of the workers, with a couple more faeries, elves, and nymphs he doesn’t recognize.

He’s pleasantly surprised by the sweet, tangy taste of the special nectar.

“Everybody knows of The Outskirts and its branch The Clearing,” Zitao explains, settling beside him a comfortable distance away–not too close yet not too far–with his legs stretched out before him and crossed at the ankles. His gaze is soft as he stares at the others before them. Yixing smiles as Zitao lets a ferret climb onto his lap to rest. “But not many people know of this area. It’s not exactly hidden but it’s also not really advertised. It’s called The Dream’s Lair. Fitting, isn’t it?”

“The Dream’s Lair,” Yixing muses, taking another sip of his drink. It makes him feel warm inside, happy, and he hums as a fawn walks up to him before sniffing his face. The motions tickle and Yixing giggles. The fawn jolts back momentarily but then it’s coming back to settle in against his side with its head in his lap. “He? She? It’s precious,” he comments, gently petting it on the head.

Zitao chuckles. The ferret jolts awake at the shakes before it’s crawling up his body to curl around the back of his neck. “The animals don’t go up to everyone, but when they do, it’s said it’s because your soul is genuine and kind.”

Yixing laughs. “So, you’re genuine and kind?”

“Well, this ferret thinks so.”

“Cute.” Yixing is pleased to see a pink flush rise on Zitao’s cheeks. For a warlock, Zitao is really breaking down the barriers he had in his head about them. Though, he has to admit he practically has no knowledge about warlocks and their magic. He just assumed they’re as powerful as elves and can be just as deadly as them.

Minutes pass as they finish their drinks. Jia comes back with snacks that make Yixing groan at its flavor, the way it simply melts on his tongue, and Zitao laughs at his antics. He makes similar noises when he eats his own share and Yixing gives him an amused look, laughing together at it all. It’s nice and relaxing and Yixing’s pretty sure his last few weeks have been pretty eventful.

“Only tell people you believe can only bring good to this area,” Zitao whispers, when the sun starts to dip low and the moon starts to shine. He’s looking up at it, admiration for this entire place flowing off of him in waves. “Some of the royal family knows but not the Elders. Sooyeon knows about it too, but I don’t know about the current guardians.” He sighs softly, looks away from the moon, and Yixing can see the magic before him. “All of us here want to keep this place as pure as possible. We don’t want to see it become tainted with the growing greed and hatred of some of the citizens of the kingdom.”

Yixing is instantly reminded of the sorceress who came to The Clearing that one day, with the rude attitude. He frowns as he looks around to the rest of the area, to the ferrets and cats and deer that go from patron to patron, relaxed and curious. He definitely doesn’t want anything bad to happen to the area.

“I’ll make sure,” he says, voice soft yet strong. He pets the fawn who hasn’t moved much from his side. “Only those who are pure in heart will visit.” He smiles when Zitao does, when he reaches out to fix wayward strands of his hair.

“I know.”

 

Yixing is surprised by the tight hug he receives at the end of the night, even more so when Zitao smiles down at him and his teeth practically redirect the moonlight into his eyes.

“I don’t know if you consider this a date, but I consider it as one and I am exhausted.” Yixing stares up at him with wide eyes before feeling like his stomach has turned itself inside out. They’re back in the middle of the warlock community and Qian doesn’t even pay them any mind as she continues to read from a scroll on the way to her house.

“What?”

“You are beautiful inside and out,” Zitao says, confidently, pulling him into another hug. “But I have decided two beautiful beings dating and eventually marrying will throw the kingdom into chaos.”

Yixing is flabbergasted.

“I had a wonderful time.”

“Uh, same,” Yixing mumbles, confused, “here?” Did he just get proposed to and then rejected?

When Zitao pulls away, he nods, satisfied, with a bright smile still in place. “I will send you home now.” He places a small pouch onto Yixing’s hand. “Take a couple of these to help settle your stomach. Thank you for your time.”

Within ten seconds, Yixing receives a kiss on the cheek, another brilliant smile, and another swooping of his stomach before he’s back in front of his own house. He feels the need to throw up but then the pouch in his hand vibrates. There are a couple of beans in there and he eats two of them, as per Zitao’s wishes, before he realizes the entire situation.

“Did I just get conned into a date?”

 

“Yeah, you got conned into a date.”

Yixing glares at the back of Zhixiang’s head, who’s busy chopping up pieces of meat behind the bar for their snack. Next to him, Liyin steals a piece before she’s catering to their new flow of patrons. “How can you say that so easily?”

Zhixiang shrugs, tosses a piece of meat up into the air behind him, which Yixing catches easily in his mouth. “Warlocks are strange creatures,” he says in response. “It sounds like you had a good time though. Who knew he was close to the royal family and could give you a tour of the castle grounds?”

Yixing almost chokes on his food. He forgot he told him the warlock brought him to the castle grounds.

“Recently, the Elders have preferred having elves as their guards. I’ve heard there are one or two warlocks the faeries have been thinking of enlisting for help too. There are rumors that the prince’s escapades are steadily increasing.” Zhixiang laughs. “It’s probably to help reel him in.”

Another toss. Another catch.

“Probably so,” Yixing muses. He hasn’t told him about his own escapade with Sehun either.

“So, what’s with you and Jongdae?”

Yixing snaps back to attention then, too busy staring off into The Clearing and losing himself in his thoughts. “Me and Jongdae?” he repeats, confused. “What about him?”

“Or you and Baekhyun, the equally attractive medical professional?”

“Oh.” Yixing flushes at the thought. That’s right. He hasn’t had time to actually talk about what’s been happening with him to his friend at all. He sighs at the thought, plucking a piece of meat when Zhixiang finally turns around and places the tray between them.

“Excuse me,” someone says, both of them looking up at the voice. It’s that same tall, blonde man from before, with hazel eyes and a curious gaze. He practically radiates heat even though Yixing is pretty sure there’s at least a foot of space between them. The man points to the tray. “Can I have one? And some chamomile tea?”

“Oh, sure,” Zhixiang says, eyeing Yixing strangely. “Help yourself. Let me get your tea.”

Yixing can’t help it. He’s pretty sure this is the same guy he thought had a tail the other day. When the man turns and makes short conversation with Zhixiang, Yixing leans over in his stool, peeking at the man’s behind.

There’s no tail.

“Um, Yixing?”

Yixing jolts, almost falls out of his chair at the process. He looks behind him quickly, ignoring the heat rising in his cheeks when the man glances back at him curiously. “Liyin?” She’s standing there looking terribly conflicted between being confused and amused. “Yes?” She points to the bird on her shoulder.

“A raven came by. Kyungsoo of the Dragons in the mountains wishes for you to pass by and bring the usual.”

“Oh!” Yixing straightens immediately. “It’s already that time?”

Liyin shrugs, the raven moving along with her. “Apparently so. I can’t believe it’s been six months already.” She pokes the raven in the chest. “Would you like me to send a reply?”

Swiping one last piece of meat from the tray, Yixing gets off of his stool, nods, is already mentally preparing for the trip through the Northern City. “Yeah, I’ll be there in the morning.”

Liyin smiles. “Then I’ll send the reply.”

 

 _Powerful and solitary, it’s no surprise dragons have chosen to live in the mountains away from civilization. Like the phoenixes, they try to keep to themselves to prevent danger to others. It’s happened before and they try to stay away from repeated incidents. Though, if you ever see a dragon up close, it’s said that their power is in their strength. Like the guardian wolves, they use their strength to protect and guide the people who wander out of the kingdom._.

 

The thing with dragons is that they are self-sufficient, more or less. They are able to transform at will when they’ve fully matured and are able to come and go as they please to find the resources they need and wish to survive. They prefer to stay within their own community but Kyungsoo has told Yixing before it’s mainly out of concern for the citizens of the kingdom.

Every now and then, though becoming increasingly rare now, there are moments when a dragon loses touch of its humanity. It’ll stay in its dragon form too long, hunt too long, ravage too long, and it leads to eventual destruction of those around it unless there are others willing and capable to stop it. Most of the time, it results in the dragon’s death by the hands of other dragons, warlocks, and elves, but there are those few who are able to come back to their senses. Kyungsoo has told Yixing that’s what happened to his best friend and how he’s now wary of transforming into his dragon and staying in that form for more than a few hours a day. It’s also the reason why he doesn’t venture far from the mountains unless necessary and why Yixing is the one delivering packages and supplies to him every six months.

Yixing can’t remember the details of how they met, but he does remember finding Kyungsoo wandering down through the main cities of the kingdom, looking a little ragged and a little hungry. His scales down the sides of his face, neck, and spine were pale and he all but fell into a side alley between the Northern and Eastern Cities. Yixing heard the whispers of the neighboring plants and found himself giving the dragon whatever foods was around them at the time.

“Huh,” Yixing mumbles, as he treks through the forests on a familiar path. He guesses he remembers a little more about their first meeting than he originally thought.

‘ _Hello, Yixing_ ,’ comes the greeting of the trees. ‘ _Welcome back_.’

“Hello,” he greets with a smile, waving to some of the trees when their leaves rustle with the wind. He has a cart he’s tugging along as well as a large sack over his shoulder. Sometimes, he’d enlist the help of Zhixiang… or a horse… Well, Yixing can’t get everything he wants.

The warm breeze that dances around him transforms into a cool wind, chilling his face and neck, and he pulls his cloaks in tighter around him. It’s always colder near the edges of the mountains. He guesses it’s to help keep the dragons’ cool in case things get too hot.

A roar startles him out of his thoughts, stilling and looking up with wide eyes to see a dragon perched on the side of a mountain kilometers away, almost as if it was crawling down towards the ground. It’s staring at him, its gaze piercing, and Yixing starts with the realization those strong, steel colored scales belong to Taekwoon. He flinches when Taekwoon releases another roar before he turns away.

“Yixing.”

Yixing gasps at the call of his name, looking away from the retreating dragon to see Kyungsoo walking towards him, brilliant black scales covering the sides of his face and neck. His eyes are a striking burgundy color like his hair. He smiles in relief. “Kyungsoo,” he greets, tugging the cart along with him.

Kyungsoo gives him a small smile and a nod in return. “Let me help you with that.” Within minutes, Kyungsoo is easily tugging along the cart and carrying Yixing’s backpack as he trails along with him. “Taekwoon alerted me,” he explains, even though Yixing hadn’t really been thinking of the other dragon’s roars in the first place. His thoughts have been too focused on Kyungsoo’s new choice of hairstyle, where the right side of his head is shaved and his hair is all pushed to the left. “How have you been?”

“Uh,” Yixing slips out, quickly looking into the dragon’s eyes to see it sparkling with amusement. “I’ve been well,” he answers, glancing back up to his hair. “Have you changed something recently?”

Kyungsoo laughs at the question, looking away. They’re at the base of the mountain now and Yixing follows him through the small pathway between the rocks, up an incline, until they’re in the dragon’s cave. He doesn’t necessarily answer Yixing, but it was a pretty rhetorical question anyways.

From a bad experience, Yixing knows each dragon has his or her own set of quirks and preferences. Taekwoon appears prompt and tidy, which he is, but his own cave is quite a bit… messy, with random articles of clothing scattered across the floor and even the ceiling and paper everywhere. To this day, Yixing still doesn’t know why the dragon has so much paper.

On the other hand, Kyungsoo prefers his space to be clean with everything in place as to how he left it. Though, he does tend to get messy when he feels like it, like now, with food scattered on random large leaves and large containers of liquids he assumes is rain water. There are even random potted plants strewn about. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess.”

“It’s okay,” Yixing hurries to say, helping Kyungsoo unload the cart he brought up there. “Compared to the hustle and bustle of the main cities, this is clean.” He laughs when Kyungsoo immediately scrunches his nose at the thought.

“That is probably true.”

Hours pass as they settle into their routine. Yixing unpacks the cart and Kyungsoo puts everything in its designated spots: various pouches of tea leaves get put into their containers, spare clothes get folded and put into metal dressers, and fresh food gets put on fresh banana leaves. There are random items Yixing has come to associate with Kyungsoo, so he helps put away the little desserts Kyungsoo claims he doesn’t like and he stifles a laugh when he catches a glimpse out of the corners of his eyes of Kyungsoo sneaking to eat one.

Before he knows it, they’re climbing up the side of the mountain with some of the food he brought. Kyungsoo is carrying most of it but he keeps looking over his shoulder to make sure he hasn’t fallen yet, which is a high possibility. Yixing doesn’t do rocks and mountains.

Kyungsoo is sturdy as he lifts Yixing up the last few feet. “You surprise me every time,” he comments, smiling even when Yixing is breathing heavier than normal.

“I’m letting you know I’m only up here because I like the fresh air.” Yixing plops down in his designated spot, legs dangling off the edge, and lets Kyungsoo huddle in close with an arm wrapped securely around his waist. “You should carve stairs into the side of your mountain.”

Kyungsoo laughs, plucks a piece of meat from the container in his lap. “That will take much too long to accomplish.”

“Then you should get started,” Yixing says with a pout, even though he opens his mouth when Kyungsoo offers him a piece.

“And ruin the natural beauty of this mountain? I would never.”

Yixing immediately slaps him on the shoulder, flushing with heat when Kyungsoo just laughs at him. “You dug out that cave! You already ruined its natural beauty long ago.”

“To think I am hearing this from a beautiful nymph,” Kyungsoo muses, eating another piece of meat. “Who knew?”

There’s a hint of a smile on the dragon’s face and Yixing rolls his eyes before opening his mouth again when Kyungsoo holds another piece out. It’s comfortable like this. They’re two kindred spirits who appreciate nature and it’s all so _nice_.

“How has the season been for you?” Yixing asks, leaning into Kyungsoo’s side. He reaches out to hold onto the container so it doesn’t fall and sighs when Kyungsoo moves himself in closer. His scales are warm.

“It’s been okay,” Kyungsoo murmurs. “Same as usual. Taekwoon found this new hideout in another kingdom the other week, where dragons mingle with others and faeries and all kinds of creatures. I haven’t gone yet, but I was thinking about it.”

Yixing hums. “That sounds fun. It’s nice to go out every once in a while and meet new creatures.”

“I guess so.” Kyungsoo gently squeezes his side. “What about you?”

“Same,” Yixing echoes, sighing softly. “It’s been strange, but I’ve been to this new restaurant. It’s called Cherish in the Western City. It’s owned by a human but there are hellhounds, frosted foxes, and feathered serpents working there too along with the humans.”

Kyungsoo makes a surprised noise. “Really? That is quite a combination. Interesting.”

“Isn’t it?” Yixing continues, recounting all that’s happened to him recently. “And I finally visited the hospital–oh, it wasn’t anything bad, don’t worry about it–and I’ve met some old friends. I also– oh!”

Kyungsoo jumps at the sudden loudness.

“I never got my cartful of raw meat,” Yixing mumbles with a frown, glaring off into the distance of the castle. He didn’t have to pay for any of it, but still. “How rude.” Next to him, Kyungsoo simply stares, completely quiet. Yixing looks over to him curiously, feeling the other squeeze his side gently, and he’s surprised to see a smile of heart-shaped lips right in front of him. Within seconds, Kyungsoo is laughing and Yixing has to grip onto the container of food.

“Would you like me to assist you in gathering raw meat? I will be happy to help.”

Yixing thinks of all the kind animals in Dream’s Lair, of the fawn he befriended during his short time there, and shakes his head. He doesn’t think he wants to witness any unnecessary hunting for him. “It’s okay.” He smiles when Kyungsoo frowns, confused. “This is enough.” He holds eye contact with him until Kyungsoo hums, defeated, and turns away.

“If you say so, Yixing.”

 

“Okay, I know this is a faster way of getting back down,” Yixing squeaks, words starting to melt together from how quickly he’s speaking, and then yelling. He clings on tighter to Kyungsoo. “But I’m still not comfortable with this! Oh my–!”

Kyungsoo jumps off the side of the cliff, his body shifting underneath him, and Yixing practically screeches until he can feel the sturdy, larger body of Kyungsoo’s dragon carrying him down to the ground instead.

“Kyungsoo!” A roar responds to him instead and Yixing yelps when they’re suddenly ascending into the air again, Kyungsoo flapping his wings happily. “Kyungsoo, what are you doing?!”

There’s another roar and Yixing simply resigns himself to a free flight. As a dragon, Kyungsoo is no different than in his human form. He’s still strong and reliable. His scales are a deep, brilliant black and his eyes are a striking burgundy. Yixing laughs when Kyungsoo tries to crane his neck to look back at him. He pets him in return, reassures him with a couple of pats. “I’m okay!”

They spend the rest of the day like that, soaring through the air and Kyungsoo showing him with jerks of the head new places and things that he hasn’t seen before. They even stop by a clearing outside of the kingdom and Kyungsoo noses at a patch of flowers until Yixing says it’s okay, plucking one carefully afterwards and giving it to him to keep. It’s fun and freeing.

When they eventually land meters away from the entrance of Kyungsoo’s home, Yixing carefully gets off of Kyungsoo. The shift always looks painful and Yixing has to look away from the sight of it. Only when he hears a deep sigh does he look back. “I apologize,” Kyungsoo says, fixing his windswept hair. His eyes shine in the growing darkness. “I was going to land safely initially but then I wondered if you would be okay with a quick flight. It turned into a few hours by mistake.”

“It’s okay,” Yixing says, walking up to him with a smile on his face. “You had fun and I loved it. It’s fine.”

There’s a moment of silence between them before Kyungsoo reaches out for him. Yixing goes to him easily, sighing softly when he’s pulled into strong arms. Deft fingers mess with the flower in his hair and he laughs when Kyungsoo pokes his cheek afterwards.

“It is getting late,” Kyungsoo murmurs, burying his face in Yixing’s neck. “I do not usually see the guardians around this time either. Would you like me to escort you back to the main part of the kingdom?”

Yixing pulls away long enough to look at the dragon, seeing something foreign in his eyes. It almost looks like he’s longing for something. Yixing frowns, grabbing a hold of Kyungsoo’s arm, and starts heading back towards his cave. “Walk with me in the morning then.”

“What?”

“You look like you might need a hug or something,” Yixing comments, trekking up the incline. “So, I’ll stay the night. I don’t need to go to The Clearing tomorrow anyways.”

When Yixing falls asleep, it’s by the warmth of the fire with Kyungsoo tucked under his chin. It’s foreign but comfortable, like how it’s always been between them since they first met.

“Thank you, Yixing,” Kyungsoo murmurs, falling asleep with a smile on his face.

 

_It’s a mystery how the world works. How the creatures that live on it learn to adapt with their surroundings and find ways to coexist with each other, to create a beautiful harmony that only they have been able to achieve over the centuries. But sometimes, they just don’t. Some creatures can’t adapt and they become dangerous even to themselves. But isn’t that why life is so fascinating? To see how things end and begin all the same?_

 

The Clearing isn’t as busy today. The seasons are changing and it’s getting colder. They’ve enlisted the recruitment of faeries and hellhounds who create small fires throughout the establishment to keep patrons warm. They ensure the flames won’t spread and Liyin is forever thankful that they’re helping to keep the surrounding plant life living too. Though, it also helps that Yixing’s created a different type of food for each of the plants to help them through the cold.

“Another chamomile tea, please,” someone calls out, and Yixing looks over to see Zhixiang going over to the patron with blonde hair. It’s the same man Yixing constantly bumps into as well as his other friends, but he still swears for the life of him that this man had a tail. “Thank you, Zhixiang.”

Yixing frowns when the man gives him a polite smile, turning back in his stool to wish his guest farewell, and eyes the man’s behind. There is still no tail. “What’s your name?” he calls out, startling a faery relaxing next to him. It takes a few minutes, but then the man is looking over with wide eyes and pointing to himself.

“Me?”

“Yes you,” Yixing confirms, walking over to stand next to him. Sitting down, he isn’t as towering but he’s still a couple centimeters taller than him. “What’s your name?”

“It’s Yifan,” the man replies, tilting his head down a bit for a bow. “Hi, Yixing.”

“Do you have a tail?” Yixing blurts out, gaze falling back down to the man’s waist. “I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you around with a tail before but not the past two times.”

Yifan gives him a weird stare before he’s laughing. He shakes with his whole body and shows off his teeth. “It’s a bit of a complication,” he explains, settling down with a gummy smile. His canines appear sharp.

Yixing huffs, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “I think it’s a simple question.”

“And I think you’re direct,” Yifan counters. “Has it really been bothering you that much?”

Shrugging, Yixing looks over to see that everyone is taken care of and Jongdae is dancing through the entrance again. It’s been a while. “I’m just curious,” he says, rolling his eyes when Jongdae catches sight of him and puckers his lips out. He looks back to Yifan. “You can’t just have a tail one day and then none the next.”

Yifan laughs again but softer this time. “I told you,” he repeats. “It’s a bit of a complication.”

“And what are you doing bothering with the previous guardian?” Zhixiang interrupts, lightly tapping his fingers against the side of Yixing’s head. He has some snacks on his tray and Yifan takes one readily. “Do you want anything else, Yifan?”

Yixing looks to Yifan shocked, completely forgetting he was the previous guardian he saw before when he watched Lu Han’s transformation. The look Yifan gives him is amused. His eyes flash a deep red before they return to a warm brown. Yixing gapes.

“I’m good, Zhixiang,” Yifan answers, breaking eye contact to give the other a small smile. “Thank you again.”

“Anytime,” Zhixiang sings. “Come on.”

Yixing snaps out of his shock at the shove Zhixiang gives before leaving. He looks over his shoulder to see his best friend walking away before seeing Jongdae and Liyin eyeing him weirdly. “Former guardian,” he greets instead, turning back to Yifan and bowing. “I apologize.”

“I am no longer a guardian,” Yifan answers. His gaze is warm when Yixing looks back up to him and he’s drinking his tea calmly, like Yixing hasn’t been outright weird and crazy with him. “My time as one ended once the summer solstice commenced. Humans by the name of Lu Han and Joohyun have taken mine and Sooyeon’s places.”

“It was still disrespectful of me–”

“Yixing,” Yifan interrupts, voice firm yet gentle when speaking to him. He smiles. “It’s fine.” He finishes his cup and stands. Yixing has to tilt his head back to look up at him. “I have to go, but I’ll see you again.”

Yixing flushes at the sincerity in his voice, in his gaze. “Okay?” he asks, unsure. It only causes Yifan to stifle a laugh before he’s turning to return the cup to the trio at the bar. Yifan waves back at him before he leaves.

It takes several minutes, but then Yixing is heading towards the bar where his friends are waiting. He doesn’t even make it by their side for two seconds before Jongdae is saying “kiss” and then attacking him with another kiss. Yixing laughs.

“Will you ever stop?”

Jongdae’s smile is bright as he takes a tray of hot tea to serve to their patrons. “Who knows?”

When he’s out of earshot, Liyin leans in close over the counter to Yixing, to ensure none of the plants next to them can hear them. “I heard he has something going on with someone else,” she whispers, smiling. “The vines told me.”

Yixing’s eyes widen at the news, quickly looking over to Jongdae who’s started to sing again, causing a new influx of patrons. “Really?”

Liyin hums. “He’s been seen with Baekhyun recently.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” she confirms, leaning away and landing on her feet again. She nods towards Jongdae and Yixing continues to watch him. He envisions Jongdae and Baekhyun together, tilting his head in confusion at the thought, and hums. “It’s interesting, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Yixing echoes, letting Jongdae and Zhixiang take care of the floor, until Jongdae comes over again with a small “kiss” then a peck on the lips. Behind him, Liyin laughs incredulously.

“I don’t think he’s going to be able to kick that habit though.”

Yixing groans, retreating completely behind the bar to help her out. “I know.”

 

Along with The Clearing, The Outskirts, and Dream’s Lair, there are several more places creatures enjoy hanging out. If these areas are crowded–or unknown for Dream’s Lair–then most of the time, they gather near the Sea Glass. It’s located in the warmer parts of the kingdom in the Southern City, where it’s closer to the ocean, and Yixing breathes in the fresh, salty air as he passes by, the first time in a long time.

The Sea Glass is the hangout niche of the mermaids and mermen where an ocean and a lake are divided by sections of land, that almost appears as if the earth is weaving in and out of the water. This prevents the salt and fresh waters from mixing but allows all of the merpeople to mingle and talk by propping themselves up on land or drying themselves off enough to walk around instead.

It’s where Yixing takes the time to talk to the withering flowers, making sure they’re all comfortable during the slightly colder season, and greets the merpeople he hasn’t seen in a while. He sees Mina during his little trip, offering him a smile and a wave, and Yixing returns the gesture with a bright smile and wave. She’s talking to a few other mermaids, but what catches his eye is another human sitting on the far bank near her. His back is turned but Yixing knows that blonde hair anywhere. He’s not even surprised to see Tzuyu talking to the blonde man, leaning over and popping out to give him an uninterested stare, before returning to her current conversation.

He really shouldn’t be surprised that when he nears, she leans over again and gives him one of her brightest smiles to date.

“How are you doing, two legs?”

Yixing pauses, frowns. “Is that supposed to be an insult?” He looks over to see Yifan looking over his shoulder at him, clearly amused, as he’ll ever be.

In the water, Tzuyu’s tail moves back and forth lazily, her arms propped onto the grassy bank. She shrugs. “It’s a simple fact that you have two legs, two legs.”

“You’re just like Cin,” Yixing mutters, pouting at her, before walking over to sit down next to them. When he sees their confused expressions, he elaborates with a small “ah. The water hyacinth.”

“Ah,” Tzuyu echoes, nodding immediately. “The one Junmyeon gave you.”

“Hm?” Yifan hums, looking between them momentarily, before staring off to another area of the Sea Glass. He points, none too conspicuously. “The merman that’s staring at you over there?”

When they all turn, they see the aforementioned merman turn bright pink, eyes wide, before he swims away. Yixing sighs. “You mean Junmyeon, one of the only mermen to actually swim away from whatever this is.”

“And what is _this_?” Tzuyu questions curiously, causing Yixing to snap his head to her. She looks completely bored, but if Yixing squints, he’s pretty sure there’s a spark of something else in her eyes. She gives him a smile that seems too eerie for his tastes. “Are you going to figure it out? Let’s see what happens.”

And like that, she gives them a playful tilt of the head before swimming away. It leaves Yixing and Yifan splashed with fresh water, wet from head to toe, and Yixing groans as he can hear Tzuyu’s screechy laughter meters away. He frowns when he hears rustling, blinking the water out of his eyes and turning to see Yifan shaking his head.

“I forget,” Yifan mumbles, frowning as he lifts a hand to ruffle his own hair. “She sorta hates me and entirely loves making things difficult for everyone else.”

Yixing’s eyes widen when Yifan coughs, a puff of smoke escaping his mouth.

“Ugh, I really should go back home and dry off.” Yifan is already moving, standing up and staring down at him, when Yixing snaps out of his shock. He stares back up at him. “Let me walk you back to the Eastern City. Are you working today?”

“Wait,” Yixing interrupts, scrambling to his feet and _still_ staring up at him. He points to his mouth, before making weird hand gestures that are supposed to resemble something exploding. “You can’t just ignore that, right? Humans don’t cough out smoke!”

“What?” Yifan gives him a look, like he’s entirely crazy, and Yixing might as well be. He feels like it anyways. And then a look of realization crosses Yifan’s face before he’s laughing and walking away, making sure to bring Yixing along with a hand gently pushing on his lower back. “But I’m not exactly human, remember? Past guardian?”

Yixing scoffs, glaring up at the other even if he moves easily with him. “Past guardian or not, you’re still essentially human. You don’t cough out smoke as a wolf.”

“And what makes you the expert on the guardian wolves?”

“Isn’t that just logical?” Yixing feels like he’s losing his mind. He digs his heels in the ground, preventing Yifan from guiding him forward anymore, before he’s spinning and jabbing a finger in Yifan’s chest. “You had a tail those two times and now you just coughed out smoke. You need to go to the hospital or I do because I can’t be imagining all this!”

That same amused smile is still on Yifan’s face and nymphs aren’t known to be physically aggressive creatures, but Yixing is pretty sure he feels like punching this man in the face, ex-guardian or not. He almost flails out when Yifan brings a hand up to gently push Yixing’s fringe out of his face, only to run his hand down the back of his head and bring him in for a hug. “You don’t even realize you’re shivering, do you?” he asks. “A flower may love water but if the water becomes too much, the flower could end up as withered as those laid to rest.”

Yifan is right. Yixing doesn’t even realize he’s shivering until Yifan’s body heat seeps into his own. Within seconds, he’s as warm as he is during the summer season and he lets out a small sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“It’s not much at all,” Yifan murmurs, warming Yixing up even more, even as he pulls away to give him a small smile. “Let’s get back and get into dry clothes before we really do need to go to the hospital.”

“Yeah, okay,” Yixing mumbles, taking the lead and turning back in the direction of the Eastern City. He’s starting to shiver again with the light breezes making its way throughout the kingdom, already missing Yifan’s warmth, when he hears Tzuyu’s faint call of “you’re welcome” and what sounds like a responding growl afterwards.

 

Blonde hair, nice enough face to stare at, and a flat ass. It’s one of the flattest asses Yixing has ever laid eyes upon but he can’t stop staring at it. There’s barely anything there, but then Yifan sneezes and a puff of smoke billows around him from his mouth. A fluffy tail appears out of nowhere, golden and wagging back and forth lazily.

Yixing gapes, reaching out a hand and repeatedly smacking the closest person to him. “Hey, do you see that tail right there? That blonde man has a tail, right?”

“Ow, Yixing!”

Yixing jumps at the voice, not expecting Sehun to be standing next to him at all. Granted, he’s been hiding behind a fish stall for the last thirty minutes, but still. He stares at the prince entirely confused. “Are you running away again?”

“It’s as scheduled, isn’t it?” Sehun mumbles, pouting as he rubs his arm. “You’re deceptively strong.”

“Carry as many trays as I have with all those drinks on it, then you’ll understand.” There’s another sneeze and Yixing quickly turns back to see Yifan already walking away and turning a corner, his tail still wagging behind him lazily. “Sehun, do you still see that tail? Hurry! Before he disappears!”

“Yes, yes,” Sehun rushes as he covers Yixing’s mouth with his hand. “Now, wait a minute.”

Yixing rolls his eyes but does as told, waiting for Taeyeon to fly past them, before they stand from their crouching positions. He waits for Sehun to remove his hand. “Haven’t you gotten tired of this yet?”

Sehun shrugs, “Taeyeon still enjoys the chase,” then he smiles, “I had your cart of meat delivered today. I forgot, but then I remembered.”

“Really?!”

“You’ve also been following that hellhound guardian for the past thirty minutes. So, go be creepy over there. This is my hiding spot.”

It’s out of pure instinct Yixing lashes out and hits Sehun on the chest–well, instinct and overwhelming annoyance–before the words sink in and he gapes at the prince instead. “What?”

Sehun gives him a strange look, as he rubs his chest now instead of his arm. “Yeah, he’s Yifan, the previous guardian, right? I forgot what he looked like in his human form, but that should be him. My parents and family chose a half-blood hellhound to be a guardian all those years ago. I was told his transformations weren’t as stable as other pure blood hellhounds, but he’s protective, caring, and kind. The Elders hoped it would help his transformations.” Sehun frowns as he stares to the skies, eyes widening. “I guess it didn’t help much, but I got to go!” He takes a moment to give Yixing a bow who balks at him in return. “It was a pleasure seeing you once again, Yixing of the Flowers,” he smiles. “Bye!”

And then he’s gone within a matter of seconds, in his smaller form, and Yixing has to squint to see any image of the sparkling prince in the sun’s rays. He can hear Taeyeon’s screams from a distance, but when he turns to look for her, he sees a flurry of sparkling faery buzzing past him screaming profanities he didn’t even think existed.

He runs before he gets caught in the middle of their royal family business like last time. He makes his way for the Western City, where Yifan was last headed, and he searches the crowds for a man bundled up in some of the warmest clothes he’s ever seen a human wear. Though, he guesses he isn’t only human if what Sehun says is true. He sucks in a deep breath when he ends up near Cherish, looking around to see Chanyeol through the restaurant window, tending to patrons with Hana bundled up in cloths and secured onto his shoulder. It’s a welcomed sight and he smiles. A sneeze makes him jump in surprise.

“Yixing? What are you doing here?”

Yixing spins to see Yifan standing there, wearing a large coat and a long, thick cloth that wraps around his neck, presumably to keep him warm. “Oh, you’re here” is Yixing’s logical response, still eyeing the neck cloth, before he blurts out, “You sneezed and a tail popped out of nowhere.”

It catches Yifan off-guard. His eyes widen and his jaw drops open in surprise. “When?”

“Earlier,” Yixing answers, before he gives him a determined stare. “I’m going to stare at your behind now. Do you have a tail?” He whines when he takes one step and Yifan grabs him by the shoulders to still him. “Yifan!”

“You’ve been fixated with my ass and while I find that oddly satisfying and wonderfully flattering, I’d rather have you not stare at it in such a public place.”

Yixing scoffs, knocking Yifan’s arms away from him. “Well, it’s not like I’m going to go back to your place and stare at it.”

“I didn’t imply that either!” Yifan squeaks, eyes widening even more and face turning pink. “Stop it!”

“I haven’t even done anything yet,” he whines, staring up into Yifan’s eyes before looking down to his pelvis. “My interest is purely pure.”

“Pure or not, it can get a little uncomfortable.” Yixing gives him a look before Yifan rolls his eyes. “Yes, I have a tail, but it doesn’t like to make its presence known half the time.”

Yixing continues to give him that same look. “Your tail can’t have a mind of its own.”

Yifan shrugs. “I’m part-hellhound. As much as I like to say I have complete control over my body, it can get a little crazy when I’m sick.”

“I thought you were human,” Yixing murmurs, frowning at him in thought, “Turned guardian wolf.”

“Well, now you know I’m part hellhound too.” Yifan shrugs again, but there’s a hint of a smile on his face, almost as if he’s nervous. “I’m a weird mixture of three creatures, so it can be hard controlling my body sometimes.” He sneezes again and Yixing jumps when Yifan recoils backwards from the force. “I should really go back home,” he murmurs, sniffling. “You too. I’m surprised you didn’t get sick like I did.”

When Yifan turns, Yixing immediately follows after him, worry gnawing at him because he kept him out longer than he should be. “My immune system isn’t as weak as others think it is,” he says, before something moving out of the corners of his eyes catches his attention. “Just because I’m like a flower doesn’t mean I’m as weak as– holy mother of earth!”

Yixing watches as Yifan jumps in fright next to him, his tail hanging limp between his legs. There’s a moment of silence where Yixing can hear the faintest of whimpers, before he’s pointing and repeating poking Yifan in the side. “Your tail is right there and it’s alive and it’s _real_.”

With each poke, Yifan whimpers, jolting and flinching to the side. “Yixing,” he whines, eventually running away from him. “Stop it! I just want to go home and sleep!”

His tail is wagging back and forth at such a frantic pace; Yixing knows what that means. “You’re enjoying this chase! I can’t believe you, Yifan!” he screams at him, watching as Yifan turns to give him a baleful expression even though his tail clearly isn’t following his lead. “Yifan!”

 

Somewhere between the Central and Eastern Cities, Yixing manages to lose a six-foot man-pup-wolf and finds himself stranded a street away from The Clearing. He can hear a deep, soothing voice floating through the air, the streets, and it takes minutes before Yixing can realize it’s Baekhyun singing. He’s singing and it’s causing him to stay rooted to his spot. Yixing frowns when other creatures walk past him without a problem, giving him strange looks, before moving on their way.

He can hear the shriveling shrubs whispering next to him, but he doesn’t know who they’re talking to until he feels something slithering up his foot and over his pant leg. There’s hissing next before he can hear one of the shrubs saying loudly, ‘ _It’s Jongin_.’

The feathered serpent travels up his torso to loosely wrap himself around Yixing’s neck.

‘ _He’s going to try to disrupt the siren’s singing_.’

Suddenly, there’s a loud hissing noise directly in Yixing’s ear and he flinches at the sheer volume of it. He stumbles over to the side, catching himself with ease, before he’s looking over to Jongin with wide eyes. He can see Jongin in the creature’s eyes, the warm, reserved expression in them. “Thank you,” he whispers, hearing the hissing change in pitch before returning to normal.

‘ _He says “you’re welcome_ ,”’ the shrub says, ‘ _and to also leave the area. He doesn’t know why you’re the only one affected by it_.’

Yixing turns to do as told, but he’s surprised to feel something soft sliding against his cheek before landing in his ear. It muffles the sounds of Jongin’s hissing before the sounds are completely gone. He looks over, surprised, to see Yifan standing there giving him a curious look.

“I came back to look for you when you stopped following me,” Yifan says loudly, leaning in a bit closer to say it in his ear. Yixing can hear Jongin hiss at the sheer volume of it. “I also heard that siren singing so I went to go get some cotton from the hospital. Why is there a feathered serpent wrapped around your neck?”

Suddenly, Jongin moves and it tickles Yixing, causing him to giggle and Jongin to lift and gently knock his head with his own. “He was helping me with the singing,” he explains, feeling Jongin circle his neck once more before climbing down his body.

“Oh, no you don’t.”

Yixing gasps when Yifan reaches for the serpent, immediately slapping his hands away and feeling Jongin circle to grip him tight around the waist to prevent himself from falling off. “Don’t manhandle him!” he reprimands, gently petting the feathers along Jongin’s upper body before he’s slithering back down towards the ground. Yixing stays completely still until Jongin flicks his tail at him and disappears into the shrubs.

When Yixing turns to Yifan, he’s pouting and his tail is still clearly present, hanging limply between his legs. He rolls his eyes. “I can’t believe you wanted a chase,” he accuses, watching as Yifan perks up entirely at that statement.

“I did not!”

“Your tail is wagging back and forth!”

Yifan pauses. “That could mean a lot of things!”

Yixing stares him down before he crosses his arms in front of his chest. “You aren’t very good at this, are you?”

“Well, if I could confess to you, it’d be so much easier,” Yifan somewhat confesses, frowning at him. “Do you know how hard it is to catch your interest?”

“I’m interested in a lot of things.”

“Which is why it’s hard,” Yifan states, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Yixing can’t hear it through the cotton, but he can see Yifan sigh in front of him. “You’re wonderful, Yixing. Everybody in the entire kingdom knows who you are. It’s hard not to admire and have a little crush on you.”

Yixing stares at Yifan’s mouth, trying to understand what he’s saying. The other is speaking too softly to hear anything and he frowns when Yifan’s mouth opens and starts moving again.

“I’m a complete mess from beginning to end, but I was honored to have been chosen to be a guardian. I didn’t think I had it in me, but I made sure everyone was safe in the end, even Sooyeon when that warlock accidentally transformed her into a cat. And I always saw you and watched how you interacted with everybody else–” Wow, Yifan is saying a lot. “–and I don’t know. Somehow, I ended up wanting to be noticed by you.”

“What?” Yixing finally slips out, face scrunching up as he tries to hear what Yifan is saying. “I can’t hear you with the cotton in my ears. You’re speaking too softly.” He’s surprised to see Yifan’s face redden in response before Yixing is simply grabbing his arm and dragging him somewhere away from Baekhyun and his singing. “Hang on. Let’s go back to my place. There shouldn’t be any siren singing there.” He doesn’t see it, but Yifan is pretty close to passing out right then and there.

 

Yixing has never been a fan of excuses, but he sincerely wishes he actually had one right about now. He’s back in The Clearing, with a hot cup of tea between his hands, and he fights back a sneeze threatening to escape his nose and mouth any minute now.

Across from him behind the counter, Liyin and Zhixiang are giving him the most motherly and fatherly expressions they can give him, and it honestly doesn’t help that Jongdae is rubbing his back soothingly over a quilt blanket Yifan has provided with the said man sitting next to him and growling every few seconds.

“I would ask for another kiss, but I don’t think I can do that without guaranteeing my safety anymore.” Jongdae shrugs when Yifan growls, louder this time. “I don’t want to get sick either.”

“This is a strange situation to be in,” Yixing simply says, taking a sip of his tea and sighing when it burns warm down his throat. He glares at Yifan when he inches closer to him. “No.”

“It’s not my fault we’re in this mess to begin with,” Yifan growls back, before he takes in a deep breath to calm himself. “If you hadn’t been obsessed with finding out if I had a tail or not, then we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“I honestly just want to know what’s going on between you two,” Zhixiang says, giving each of them a look. “Considering Yifan is all better and now Yixing is sick when he wasn’t sick to begin with, I can only sense lip action had happened between you two.”

“And I thought the only lip action Yixing had was with me,” Jongdae says wistfully, rolling his eyes when Yifan growls again. “It’s completely obvious you staked your claim on this pretty flower,” he reaches over to gently pat Yixing’s cheek. “Stop growling like it’s going to change anything.”

Yifan glowers. “It should change everything. All of you act like I’ve been with you for centuries.”

“Haven’t you?” Liyin asks, staring blankly at him. “You have been with us for as long as I remember–”

“And she’s old.”

Liyin smacks Zhixiang. “You’re older than me,” she chastises, before she turns to Yifan. “What I’m trying to figure out is how you managed to capture Yixing’s interest when all these other creatures have been trying to get it for the longest time.”

Yixing shrugs. “He made me think I was crazy.”

“Aren’t you?” Yifan fires back, glaring when Yixing does first.

“I say you’re the crazy one.”

“I told you. If you hadn’t been so fascinated with my ass, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

Jongdae hums. “I don’t know either because you literally don’t have one.”

“Neither do you, face sucker!”

“At least I suck pretty faces.”

Liyin suddenly slaps her hands down on the counter in front of them, silencing all of them immediately. She gives them a stern look. “Stop talking about sucking faces.” She points to Yifan, “You go wait tables since Yixing is sick,” before pointing to a snickering Jongdae, “Do what you’re supposed to do. Zhixiang will help.”

It’s a blessing to hear shuffling and silence after all that. Yixing sighs in relief, taking another sip of his tea, before he suddenly feels a soft kiss to the top of his head. He snaps his head up afterwards to see Yifan giving him a small smile.

“I don’t know if we should tell people we got together because of my ass,” he whispers, causing Yixing to laugh at the absurdity of it all. “But I’m glad I got your interest because of it.”

Yixing shoves him away, coughing at the exertion of the push, though he’s still smiling at him. “Go away,” he croaks out, laughing some more when Yifan grimaces. “I’ll stop talking once you go away.”

Yifan leaves instantly after that, grabbing the empty tray to place the empty cups on. Yixing shakes his head at him, before turning to see Liyin still staring at him, this time with an amused expression on her face. “I’m not going to stop talking, am I?” Yixing murmurs with a sigh.

Liyin shakes her head. “You’re going to stop talking until Yifan gets to the far end of The Clearing. After that, you’re telling me all about these crazy stories with everybody else before Yifan.”

Yixing can’t help but laugh.

“And then you’re going to tell me all about your obsession with his ass.”

Well, Yixing can definitely do that.

**Author's Note:**

> come find me [here](http://www.twitter.com/xo_thefirst) :D


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